Abstract
ZnFe 2O 4 tubes with mesoscale dimensions were synthesized by pyrolysis of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-mediated xerogel using porous alumina as a template. The product formation was analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). This synthetic method yielded open-ended ZnFe 2O 4 tubes with a typical length of several micrometers, an outer diameter of about 200 nm, and an average thin wall of 20 nm composed of small nanocrystals. Application of the ZnFe 2O 4 tubes as gas sensor materials displayed low-energy consumption and high sensitivity to organics such as ethanol and acetone, due to the unique interconnected channel structure and small crystal size of the tubes, showing their potential application in sensor areas.
Published Version
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