Porous CuO–ZnO nanocomposite for sensing electrode of high-temperature CO solid-stateelectrochemical sensor

Abstract

A highly porous and nanostructured CuO–ZnO composite has been synthesized for thesensing electrode of a solid-state electrochemical sensor for the high-temperature detectionof carbon monoxide. The sensing electrode is made of ZnO nanotetrapod supported CuOnanoparticles. The ZnO nanotetrapods form a three-dimensional interconnected network,leading to a highly porous electrode. The ZnO nanotetrapods on which the CuOnanoparticles are highly dispersedly supported have a high surface-to-volume ratio whilemaintaining thermal stability at high temperature. Our approach provides an inexpensiveroute for large-scale production of porous and nanostructured electrodes, which increasesthe sensitivity of solid-state electrochemical sensors for on-line gas detection at hightemperature.