Irregular α-V2O5 nanodiscs fabrication for highly sensitive and responsive ethanol vapours detection

Abstract

The current study presents a template-free hydrothermal approach for synthesizing nanodiscs resembling vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanostructures, highlighting their potential as ethanol gas sensing materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the presence of a highly crystallized orthorhombic phase of V2O5 (JCPDS file no 85–0601). The morphological features of V2O5, resembling irregular nanodiscs, were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to explore the chemical structure and bonding of V2O5. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) confirmed the crystalline nature of the material, with lattice spacing at 0.57 nm corresponding to the (020) crystal planes. Elemental chemical composition analysis of V2O5 was conducted via energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The V2O5 sample exhibited a BET surface area of 15.32 m2/g and a BJH desorption average pore width of 28.76 nm, providing essential insights into its surface availability for gas adsorption. In ethanol vapor environments, the sensing capabilities of the V2O5 sensor were evaluated at room temperature. The prepared V2O5-based sensor demonstrated exceptional selectivity towards ethanol over other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with a sensing response of 74.88 % towards 1000 ppm ethanol at room temperature (30 °C). These findings underscore the efficacy of the V2O5-based sensor in ethanol atmospheres, exhibiting rapid response and recovery times of 36s and 12s, respectively, at room temperature.