Long-term, rapid and stable acetone gas sensing performance of porous Rgo/flower-shaped ZnO nanocomposites with a hydrothermal synthesis method

Abstract

It is prominent and imperative to synthesize gas-sensitive materials using energy-efficient and environmentally friendly methods to enhance their properties. The current paper employs hydrothermal method porous reduced graphene oxide (P-rGO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) with flower-like structure complexes (PGZ) to detect the acetone gas. The gas sensitivity of the PGZ sensor demonstrate a response of 30.38 for 50 ppm acetone, accompanied by a rapid response recovery time of 5 s/7 s at operating temperature of 240 °C. Moreover, the remarkable long-term stability (<15 % fluctuation over 9 cyclic response cycles and 7 weeks of intermittent testing) of the PGZ gas sensor ensures its suitability for practical applications. The P-rGO enlarges the specific surface area of the material, which is conducive to accelerating the electron transfer in the reaction as well as the adsorption and desorption of the target gas, resulting in a rapid response recovery time. The porous structure can also effectively inhibit the agglomeration and growth of ZnO nanoparticles, thus improving long-term stability. Consequently, our study provides a new strategy for the application of 2D materials in gas sensing.