Synthesis, characterization, and NH3 gas sensing application of Zn doped cobalt oxide nanoparticles

Abstract

Metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors have a wide level of applications. They have the benefits of being powerful, fast, lightweight, dependable, safe and durable. In the current investigation, Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles were prepared using hydrothermal method. So as to build the productivity, the synthesized Co3O4 nanoparticles were doped with ZnO. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was used to examine the structure of the synthesized Co3O4nanoparticles. The surface morphology of the nanoparticles was studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy and the elemental analysis done by EDX. FTIR was used to confirm the molecular constituents of the Co3O4 nanoparticles. Optical characterization was done by analyzing the UV absorption spectrum. The gas sensing properties of pure nanocrystalline cobalt oxide have been researched and compared with that of Zn doped cobalt oxide nanoparticles. The response of the Zinc doped Co3O4nanoparticles to ammonia gas was found to be better than that of pureCo3O4 nanoparticles, exhibiting their potential for application in nanosensors.