Abstract

In this work, ZnO nanocrystals (NCs) are innovatively decorated on the hierarchically porous microflowers (MFs) of BiOBr. The preparation is accompanied by the construction of n–n nano-heterojunctions. The crystallographic information, microstructure, oxygen vacancy, and gas sensing performances of BiOBr/ZnO composites are investigated. The BiOBr/ZnO sensor presents excellent response characteristics to triethylamine (TEA). Compared with BiOBr MFs and pure ZnO NCs, the BiOBr/ZnO composite sensor exhibits a higher response (Ra/Rg) of about 20.57 to 100 ppm TEA at 200 °C. The sensor also shows good selectivity and durable long-term stability, besides the low detection limit of 112 ppb. Even more appealingly, the response time is only 4 s. The improved TEA sensing performance of BiOBr MFs modified with ZnO NCs can be mainly attributed to the unique hierarchical heterogeneous microstructure. Furthermore, the construction of n–n BiOBr/ZnO heterostructures leads to a large specific surface area and effective electron transport, which facilitate the surface reaction and diffusion of TEA molecules. The BiOBr/ZnO composite sensor based on n–n nano-heterojunctions may provide a valuable strategy for the detection of volatile organic compounds.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call