Biotemplate Method Research Articles

NiCoP@amorphous carbon composites with 3D core-shell structure for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors

In this paper, a facile bio-templating method is proposed to prepare NiCoP coated on amorphous carbon (NiCoP@AC) composite electrode materials with using bagasse as template and carbon source. NiCoP nanowire network arrays precursors coating on bagasse substrate with high yield were prepared via a novel synthesis strategy utilizing the toluene-water interface reaction process, which subsequently formed as NiCoP@AC composite electrode materials after phosphating process. The assembled core-shell structure attenuated the volume expansion during charging and discharging, additionally, the overall electrical conductivity of the composite was also improved owing to the characteristic of bagasse biochar. The NiCoP@AC electrode exhibited high specific capacitance (1706 F g−1 at 1 A g−1), outstanding rate capability (82.1 % capacity retention from 1 to 20 A g−1) and good cycling stability (retaining 80.0 % capacitance over 5000 cycles). In addition, bagasse biomass activated carbon (BAC) was prepared via a typical alkaline activation process for the use as negative electrode. The as-fabricated NiCoP@AC//BAC supercapacitor displayed a high energy density of 46.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 807.3 W kg−1, and an excellent capacitance retention rate (88.5 % after 5000 cycles), suggesting that the as-prepared NiCoP@AC electrode materials have wide application prospects in high-performance supercapacitors.

Biotemplated Fe/La-co-doped TiO2 for photocatalytic depth treatment of compressed leachate from refuse transfer station.

Compressed leachate is a contaminated liquid containing various organic and inorganic pollutants produced in municipal refuse transfer stations, which pollute soil and groundwater, posing serious risks to the environment and human health. The Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, South China) treated compressed leachate obtained from a refuse transfer station. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) (641.2mg/L) of treated compressed leachate did not meet the wastewater quality standards in China for discharge into municipal sewers (COD ≤ 500mg/L) and the company's design discharge requirements (COD ≤ 400mg/L). Therefore, their further in-depth treatment is necessary. To this end, waste tobacco leaves were used as the biotemplate herein, and Fe/La-co-doped TiO2 (xFe,yLa)-TTiO2(g) was synthesized using a solvothermal-assisted biotemplating method. The photocatalytic depth treatment of compressed leachate was performed under simulated solar light using the prepared catalysts. After (3Fe,3La)-TTiO2(g) treatment, the COD of the leachate decreased from 641.2 to 280.1mg/L, and the COD removal rate was 1.2, 1.1, and 1.6 times higher than that of pure Fe-doped, La-doped and non-biological template TiO2, respectively. Characterization confirmed that the biological template endowed the catalyst with a unique morphology and high specific surface area. Its rich activity sites are conducive to enhancing the adsorption capacity of pollutants and providing an ideal place for photocatalytic reactions. Co-doping with iron and lanthanum ions altered the band structure of TiO2 and promoted the interconversion of Fe3+/Fe2+ and La3+/La2+ during photocatalysis. First-principles density functional theory simulations demonstrated that co-doping Fe and La in TiO2 created impurity levels that facilitated the transfer of photogenerated electrons. This study provides a new purification pathway for the depth treatment of compressed leachate.

Hydrothermal synthesis of Ti3+-self-doped TiO2 photocatalysts using wool fibers as a biotemplate

A biotemplate method was used for the synthesis of self-doped TiO2 photocatalysts via the impregnation of sheep wool fibers with a solution containing titanium hydroxocomplexes under mild hydrothermal conditions (115 °C, 170 kPa), followed by the removal of the wool template during calcination in air at 600 °C. An intermediate wool-TiO2 composite, formed as a product of hydrothermal impregnation of a wool biotemplate, was comprehensively studied using IR spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, TG analysis, and DSC with mass spectrometric analysis of evaporation products to evaluate the mechanism of TiO2 crystallization. The phase composition, morphology, texture, and optical properties of the synthesized TiO2 photocatalysts were studied using XRD, SEM, nitrogen adsorption/desorption, and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. High-temperature treatment after hydrothermal impregnation led to the formation of anatase and rutile TiO2 nanocrystallites with a characteristic size of 15–20 nm. The as-prepared TiO2 photocatalysts had an optical band gap of ∼3.0 eV due to the high content of the rutile phase but also absorbed visible light due to impurity atoms and defects. The samples exhibited very high photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Rhodamine B dye, which was used as a probe molecule, under both UV and visible light. Based on the XPS and EPR results, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the prepared photocatalysts was attributed to the self-doping effect due to the many defects (Ti3+ sites and oxygen vacancies) formed during TiO2 crystallization, probably via the reduction of Ti4+ to Ti3+ in disproportionation reactions of disulfide bonds involving titanium hydroxocomplexes.

Plant-Cell mediated synthesis of MnCo2O4 nanoparticles and their activation of peroxymonosulfate to remove Tetracycline

Nanosized bimetallic oxides can efficiently activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade organic pollutants attributed to their synergetic electron transfer between the two metals. However, their scalable and controllable synthesis remains challenging. In this study, small and regular MnCo2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully synthesized via a facile bio-templating method. Leaf cells were used as structure-directing agents, and the nucleation and growth of MnCo2O4 were restricted in the confined space of cells, resulting in MnCo2O4 spinel with an average size of 22 nm. The MnCo2O4 NPs can activate PMS to achieve 99 % degradation of TC (C0 = 20 mg·L−1) within 10 min. Moreover, the MnCo2O4 NPs also show a wide applicable pH range (3.0 − 11.0, RE > 94 %), excellent reusability (RE = 96 % after four cycles), and good adaptability in the complex water matrix. Analysis of the catalytic mechanisms suggests that radical O2•− and non-radical 1O2 dominate this MnCo2O4 + PMS + TC system. Besides, 17 major degradation intermediates of TC were identified (most of them were predicted to be harmless), and 3 possible degradation pathways were proposed. This study provides a feasible strategy for synthesizing spinel-structured MnCo2O4 NPs, which show great potential in removing antibiotics from wastewater.

Nitrogen-Doped Cellulose-Derived Porous Carbon Fibers for High Mass-Loading Aqueous Supercapacitors.

Biomass-based porous carbon with renewability and flexible structure tunability is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors. However, there is a huge gap between experimental research and practical applications. How to maintain good electrochemical performance of high mass-loading electrodes and suppress the self-discharge of supercapacitors is a key issue that urgently needs to be addressed. The structure regulation of electrode materials such as heteroatom doping is a promising optimization strategy for high mass-loading electrodes. In this work, nitrogen-doped cellulose-derived porous carbon fibers (N-CHPCs) were prepared by a facile bio-template method using cotton cellulose as raw material and urea as dopant. The prepared N-CHPCs have high specific surface area, excellent hierarchical porous structure, partial graphitization properties and suitable heteroatom content. The assembled high mass-loading (12.8 mg cm-2; 245 μm) aqueous supercapacitor has excellent electrochemical performance, i. e., low open-circuit voltage attenuation rate (21.39 mV h-1), high voltage retention rate (78.81 %), high specific capacitance (295.8 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1), excellent area capacitance (3.79 F cm-2 at 0.1 A g-1), excellent cycling stability (97.28 % over 20,000 cycles at 1.0 A g-1). The excellent performance of high mass-loading N-CHPCs is of great significance for their practical applications in advanced aqueous supercapacitors.

Fabrication of Soft-Hard Heterostructure Porous Carbon with Enhanced Performance for High Mass-Loading Aqueous Supercapacitors.

With the increasing attention to energy and environmental issues, the high value-added utilization of biomass and pitch to functional carbon materials has become an important topic in science and technology. In this work, the soft-hard heterostructure porous carbon (NRP-HPC) is prepared by bio-template method, in which biomass and pitch are used as hard carbon and soft carbon precursors, respectively. The prepared NRP-HPC-4 shows high specific surface area (2293m2g-1), suitable pore size distribution, good conductivity (0.25Ωcm-1), and strong wettability. The synergistic effect of soft carbon and hard carbon ensures the composite material exhibiting excellent electrochemical performance for high mass loading (12.0mgcm-2) aqueous supercapacitor, i.e., high specific capacitance (304.69Fg-1 at 0.1Ag-1), high area capacitance (3.67Fcm-2 at 0.1Ag-1), high volumetric specific capacitance (202.74Fcm-3 at 0.1Ag-1), low open-circuit voltage attenuation rate (21.04mVh-1), good voltage retention (79.12%), and excellent cyclic stability (92.04% capacitance retention and 100% coulombic efficiency after 20000 cycles). The composite technology of soft carbon and hard carbon not only ensures the prepared porous carbon electrode materials with enhanced electrochemical performance, but also realizes the high value-added coupling utilization of biomass and pitch.

Fabrication of magnesium oxide adsorbent by cellulosic filter paper fibre bio-templating for CO2 adsorption application

The filter paper bio-templating method has become a promising pathway in the fabrication of MgO with tunned physicochemical features. The filter paper-templated MgO (MgO-FPT) has been subjected to several characterisation analyses, and it has revealed that filter paper templating has demonstrated a positive outcome toward an improvement of physicochemical features, i.e., improved surface reactivity and surface area compared to MgO prepared via direct thermal degradation method of magnesium salt (MgO-CT). As the evidence of the FTIR spectra, the MgO-FPT has demonstrated a surface rich CO2-associated functional group, which indicate the enhanced surface reactivity of the MgO, which increase of the adsorbent affinity toward CO2 (even from atmospheric surrounding). Together with the improved structural features compared to MgO-CT (two-fold high surface area), it has significantly refined the CO2 adsorption uptake capacity to almost 15 times higher than MgO-CT with only 0.247 mmol/g. This shows the potential filter paper bio-templating method for the metal oxide-based adsorbent fabrication for CO2 adsorption application.

In-situ embedding of ultrasmall MnO nanoparticles into pollen biomass-derived hollow porous N heteroatoms enriched carbon microspheres as high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

The transition manganese monoxide (MnO) is investigated as the one of the most promising candidates of anode nanomaterials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its irreplaceable advantages of higher theoretical capacity, restricted voltage hysteresis and favorable electrochemical kinetics. Nevertheless, it still remains a big challenge to simultaneously resolve the nonideal properties of the relatively low dispersion of MnO, the structural metastability as well as the undesirable permeability of electrolyte. Herein, the ultrasmall MnO nanoparticles/sulfuric-acid-pretreated camellia pollen carbon (MnO/SCPC) composites are successfully fabricated by a facile bio-templating method of carbonization hydrolysis of camellia pollen, wet-impregnation treatment of Mn/SCPC precursor and followed by thermal annealing, which delivers hollow porous microspheres structure where the shell components are formed by orderly stacking of multiple ultrasmall-size MnO-loaded nanocarbon spheres. This advantageous nano-structures not only allow for a large volume change during the lithiation/delithiation process, a large accessible contact area with electrolyte and a short transport path for Li+ ions, but also enhance the amounts of electrochemically active sites while simultaneously endow them with a superior structural stability through robust interfacial interaction. These clever designs enable the MnO/SCPC composites to perform exceptionally well electrochemically. More specifically, the MnO/SCPC-600 anode possesses a high initial discharge capacity (1490 mAh·g−1) at a current density of 0.1 A·g−1, and still retains 60% of the initial capacity (894 mAh·g−1) after 100 cycles. Besides, it also exhibits a high discharge capacity of 612 mAh·g−1 at a current density of 2.0 A·g−1 and an ultralong cycling life of 584 mAh·g−1 at 1.0 A·g−1 for long period of 1000 cycles. This work also paves up a facile direction for the application of MnO/biomass-derived carbonaceous nanomaterials in LIBs.

Novel Co3O4-CuO-CuOHF porous sheet for high sensitivity n-butanol gas sensor at low temperature

In this study, porous sheet-like nanostructured Co3O4-CuO-CuOHF composites with great n-butanol sensing properties were synthesized by the biotemplate method and hydrothermal method. The effect of various contents of Co3O4-CuO-CuOHF sensor performance was systematically investigated, in which the best performance was achieved for the composite with 0.03 g Co3O4 addition. The response of the best content Co3O4-CuO-CuOHF composite sensor to 100 ppm n-butanol at 180 ℃ is 120, which is 8 times higher than that of the CuO-CuOHF sensor. The composite sensor has excellent selectivity for n-butanol and responds 3.75–25 times higher to n-butanol than other target gases. It is detectable up to 500 ppb n-butanol and has potential promise for low concentration detection. Furthermore, it has outstanding stability and resistance to humidity. The gas sensing mechanism was analyzed by UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, EPR oxygen vacancies and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which indicated that the abundant oxygen vacancies, the physical adsorption of polar hydroxyl bonds, the electronegative fluorine substitution and the special microstructure of the composite contributed to its gas-sensitive performance.

Bio-inspired V-TiO2 architectures with regulable surface ultrastructure for visible-light photocatalytic selective oxidation of cyclohexane

Photocatalytic selective oxidation of cyclohexane is more energy saving and sustainable when compared with traditional thermal catalysis, but highly effective visible-light photocatalyst for this reaction remains challenging. Herein, vanadium-doped TiO2 was prepared by using a solvent-thermal-assisted biotemplating method, while glycerol was used to regulate the surface ultrastructure of the catalyst. It is found that the use of the biotemplate, regulation of the surface ultrastructure of the catalyst by glycerol, as well as vanadium doping are all beneficial to improve the performance of the photocatalyst. Resultantly, the biotemplated TiO2 doped with 2 % vanadium, which has a needle-like surface ultrastructure (2 %V-CTiO2(g)) achieves the best performance for cyclohexane conversion (0.98 %), which is 7.0, 8.9 and 49 times higher than TiO2 sample without vanadium doping, surface ultrastructure adjustment and biotemplating, respectively. Characterizations and DFT calculations confirm that biotemplating and the use of glycerol endow the sample with unique morphology, oxygen vacancies and high surface area. Doping of vanadium not only changes the band structure of TiO2 but also introduces the interconversion of V4+ and V5+ into the photocatalytic process. This work offers a new approach to the green conversion of cyclohexane.

Biotemplate synthesis of a Co3O4 microtube sensor for fast triethylamine detection.

A low operating temperature and short response/recovery time are essential factors for sensors. Hence, it is necessary to create a sensor that can quickly detect target gas at a relatively low temperature. In this work, Co3O4 microtube based sensors were fabricated by a bio-template method using absorbent cotton. Co3O4 microtube sensors prepared in different concentrations of a salt solution displayed different sensitivities to triethylamine (TEA). The Co3O4-0.10 microtube sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity to TEA at 160 °C. The response of the Co3O4-0.10 sensor to 100 ppm TEA gas was 31.27 and the detection limit of TEA was 50 ppb. Meanwhile, the Co3O4-0.10 sensor also showed a short response/recovery time, such as 95 s/38 s to 100 ppm TEA, high selectivity, a good linear relationship (R2 = 0.994 for 1-100 ppm TEA and R2 = 0.991 for 50-1000 ppb TEA gas), fine repeatability and long-term stability, and strong humidity resistance. Thus, Co3O4 microtube based sensors prepared using a bio-template method have potential application prospects for the detection of TEA gas.

Quantitative prediction of ternary mixed gases based on an SnO2 sensor array and an SSA-BP neural network model.

This paper describes a tin oxide and copper doped tin oxide gas sensing material synthesized by a biological template method and simple hydrothermal reaction, which were used for the preparation of a gas sensor array. The sensor array is combined with the Sparrow Search Algorithm optimized BP neural network algorithm (SSA-BP) to predict and analyze the concentration of indoor toxic gases, including ammonia, xylene, and formaldehyde. Granular SnO2 was prepared by the biological template method and Cu/SnO2 doped with different copper ion concentrations was prepared by the hydrothermal method. The morphology of the synthesized nanomaterials was characterized by SEM, and the elemental composition and chemical state of the main elements were analyzed by XRD and XPS. The PL emission observed in the visible region is attributed to the defect level gap caused by oxygen. The optimal operating temperature, sensitivity, response/recovery time and the long-term stability of the sensor array have been studied. By combining the sensor array with the neural network algorithm in a simulated indoor environment at four humidity levels, the concentration information of the gas mixtures could be well predicted and the predicted concentration error was less than 0.84 ppm. Therefore, the sensor array prepared in this study combined with the SSA-BP algorithm achieved good results in predicting the concentrations of the three toxic mixtures.

Highly sensitive detection for acetic acid based on biomorphic ZIF-8 and MOF dual-template-derived ZnO–rGO nanocomposites

ZIF-8-derived ZnO and rGO nanocomposites based on biomorphic cotton templates are synthesized. The low-cost and reproducible biotemplate method provides a new idea for designing gas sensors with excellent performance.

Recent advances in ZrO2 nanofibers: From structural design to emerging applications

One-dimensional (1D) zirconium dioxide nanofibers (ZrO2 NFs), as an important inorganic material, have attracted significant attention because of their unique structural characteristics, outstanding chemical/thermal stability, and excellent optical/electronic properties. The biotemplate method, phase inversion method, centrifugal spinning, and electrospinning are facile and highly versatile approaches for the synthesis of ZrO2 NFs, which have great potential in many emerging applications, such as thermal insulation, air filtration, water purification, catalyst supports, dye-sensitized solar batteries, and lithium-ion batteries. In this review, strategies for synthesizing ZrO2 NFs with various structures, such as porous, hollow, layered, and even 3D self-assembled structures, are described and analyzed in detail. Recent revolutionary progress in mitigating the brittle nature of ceramics and constructing flexible ZrO2 NFs, as well as their deformation mechanisms, is also discussed. Then, achievements concerning the application fields of ZrO2 NFs in thermal insulation, environmental remediation, catalysis, and batteries are presented. Finally, we provide a comprehensive summary of the critical challenges and future perspectives on ZrO2 NFs. This review is envisioned to guide future research on novel ZrO2 NFs for emerging applications.

In situ synthesis of oxygen-deficient Cu2O on eggshell membranes and study of its efficient photocatalytic activity

The conversion of biological waste into high-value-added materials is of great significance for environmental protection and sustainable economic development. Metal nanoparticles should be used in the field of photocatalysis because of their excellent photocatalytic activity and wide selectivity. Green and sustainable carriers play an important role in improving the utilization and recycling of nanoparticles. In this work, we synthesized eggshell membrane (ESM)/ cuprous oxide biomass catalysts from biological eggshell membranes using a biotemplate method, and the biomass catalysts showed an interwoven network structure of uniformly loaded nanoparticles. The results showed that these biomass composites had good photocatalytic activity (kapp = 0.0392 min−1) for methylene blue (MB), and the eggshell membranes acted as a sacrificial agent during the catalytic process, which effectively inhibited the compounding rate of photogenerated electrons. The photodegradation rate reached about 97 % in 1 h when the adsorbent dosage was 0.025 g, and the dye concentration was 30 mg/L. The present work is important for realizing the integration of biomaterials science and nanoscience.

Microtubular Fe/Mn-promoted CaO-Ca12Al14O33 bi-functional material for H2 production from sorption enhanced water gas shift

Herein, a hollow microtubular Fe/Mn-promoted CaO-Ca12Al14O33 bi-functional material was prepared by the bio-template method and used for H2 production from sorption enhanced water gas shift (SEWGS). The microtubular Fe/Mn-promoted CaO-Ca12Al14O33 exhibits excellent CO2 capture and H2 production performance in SEWGS/regeneration cycles. The stable hollow microtubular structure improves available adsorption and catalytic sites in Fe/Mn-promoted CaO-Ca12Al14O33 for CO2 capture and H2 production. Mn addition improves CO2 affinity capacity of the microtubular material. The Fe-Mn interaction increases redox ability of Fe3+/Fe3+, 2+, which promotes CO conversion. Moreover, the formed Ca2Fe2O5 and Ca2MnO4 both increase oxygen vacancies to promote catalytic activity of the microtubular material for WGS and its CO2 capture capacity. The CO conversions for the microtubular material with the Fe/Mn/Al/Ca molar ratio= 10/2/10/100 are 98.7% and 94.0% after 20 cycles under the mild and severe calcination conditions, respectively. The hollow microtubular bi-functional material shows good prospect for efficient H2 production from SEWGS.

CdS-g-C3N4/C composites induced by hollyhock stem template

CdS-g-C3N4/C was prepared with g-C3N4, CdS and hollyhock stem as the starting materials via biotemplate method. The results showed that the hollyhock stem carbon maintains a rigid skeleton to give substrate support and good electron transfer channel, while the g-C3N4 lamellae was anchored on the stem surface uniformly with fracture of the 3-s-triazine ring without agglomeration to contribute higher specific surface area and numerous reactive sites. The clear interface between CdS and g-C3N4 phases was established successfully to endow the composite good reaction activity. The special microscopic morphology mentioned above give the composite higher photocatalytic efficiency for RhB of 86.96%, which is 3.23 times that of pure g-C3N4. In the photocatalytic process, the main photocatalytic reactive substance is ·O2−, followed by h+.

Coupling adsorption and reduction for tellurium recovery by hierarchical porous nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) /LDOs composites

The efficient recovery of tellurium from aqueous solution is essential from the viewpoint of non-ferrous metal resource exploitation and environmental protection. In this work, Mg–Al LDOs (layered double oxides) was synthesized by a facile biotemplate method, and then loaded with NZVI to realize coupling adsorption and reduction for tellurium recovery. Through the SEM, TEM, XRD, and BET tests, the morphology and crystal structure of this NZVI/LDOs composites were determined, and it was found that NZVI can be distributed on the surface of the LDOs sheet uniformly with large specific surface area of 134.04 m2/g and pore size of 10.15 nm. The prepared NZVI/LDOs composites exhibited excellent tellurium adsorption capacity (the removal rate can reach more than 99%) and pH, adsorption concentration and temperature are controlled to find the optimal adsorption conditions. The XPS analysis confirmed that the reduced tellurium adhered to the LDOs surface in elemental form, demonstrating the feasibility of the method. The combination of NZVI and Mg–Al LDOs solved the defects of bare NZVI and greatly improved the adsorption performance which has a good application prospect in the future recovery of tellurium.

Integrating hierarchical interfacial polarization in yeast-derived Mo2C/C nanoflower/microsphere nanoarchitecture for boosting microwave absorption performance

Integration of hierarchical polarizations within one nanoarchitecture combines superiorities of strong dielectric polarization loss and matched characteristic impedance for enhancing microwave absorption (MA) performance. However, accurate regulation of polarization relaxations in hierarchical composites remains a considerable challenge. Herein, novel Mo2C@N, P dual-doped carbon microspheres with excellent MA performance have been prepared via a facile yeast-template method. The collaborative composite consists of a hierarchically porous carbon substrate, the embedded ultrafine Mo2C nanoparticles, and the decorated Mo2C/C nanoflowers. Their maximum reflection loss value reaches as much as −50.6 dB and the effective absorption bandwidth is up to 5.4 GHz with a thickness of 2.5 mm, which are superior to those of most carbonaceous absorbents reported previously. These excellent data mainly result from the following three mechanisms. First, multiple heterointerfaces among the air, carbon matrix, and Mo2C nanoparticles contribute to the strong dielectric polarization loss capacity. Second, the doping of heteroatoms doped can trigger intensive dipole polarization. Third, porous structure induces strong space charge polarization and multiple scattering of electromagnetic waves. These achievements provide a biotemplate method for the general preparation of porous metals or metal compounds/carbon composites with broad application prospects in the MA field.

Biomorphic ZnO Nanotubes for n-Pentanol Sensing

It is of great practical significance to develop portable and conductometric sensors for detecting flammable and explosive high-energy n-pentanol vapor. In view of the very few reports on metal oxide-based n-pentanol sensors, herein, biomorphic ZnO nanotubes were synthesized through a zinc salt impregnation–calcination method using poplar branch as a biotemplate. The multistage porous ZnO-500 tube arrays obtained from calcination at 500 °C are cross-linked by small-size nanoparticles, which are beneficial to the rapid adsorption and diffusion of n-pentanol vapor with a long alkyl chain. A ZnO-500-based sensor presents high and fast response (S = 221.0; Tres = 4 s) to 100 ppm n-pentanol vapor at 252 °C, as well as a low detection limit (100 ppb) and a wide linear relationship. Under the synergistic effect of inherent characteristics of the biomorphic structure and biotemplate imprinting, the above comprehensive gas-sensing indicators are significantly superior to those of the reported metal oxide-based sensors. Thus, the porous ZnO-500 nanomaterials prepared by a simple, low-cost, and controllable biotemplate method have the potential to be fabricated as candidates for the rapid and accurate detection of trace amounts of n-pentanol.