Low-operating temperature and remarkably responsive methanol sensors using Pt-decorated hierarchical ZnO structure.

Highly responsive methanol sensors working at low temperatures are developed using hierarchical ZnO nanorods decorated by Pt nanoparticles. The sensing materials are fabricated following a 3-step process: electrospinning of ZnO nanofibers, hydrothermal growth of hierarchical ZnO nanorods on the nanofibers and UV-assisted deposition of Pt nanoparticles. The morphology, structure and properties of the materials are examined by field-effect scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, and electrical measurements. The methanol sensing performance is investigated at different working temperatures in the range of 110 °C-260 °C. It is observed that the surface modification of the ZnO hierarchical nanorods by Pt nanoparticles results in a remarkable enhancement of the sensing response toward methanol, which can reach approximately 19 500 times higher than that of the unmodified ZnO nanorods-based sensor. In addition, this modification enables lower working temperatures with an optimum range of 140 °C-200 °C. Based on the achieved results, a methanol sensing mechanism of the Pt/ZnO structure is proposed.

Titanium Nitride Nanodonuts Synthesized from Natural Ilmenite Ore as a Novel and Efficient Thermoplasmonic Material.

Nanostructures of titanium nitride (TiN) have recently been considered as a new class of plasmonic materials that have been utilized in many solar energy applications. This work presents the synthesis of a novel nanostructure of TiN that has a nanodonut shape from natural ilmenite ore using a low-cost and bulk method. The TiN nanodonuts exhibit strong and spectrally broad localized surface plasmon resonance absorption in the visible region centered at 560 nm, which is well suited for thermoplasmonic applications as a nanoscale heat source. The heat generation is investigated by water evaporation experiments under simulated solar light, demonstrating excellent solar light harvesting performance of the nanodonut structure.

Preparing cuprous oxide nanomaterials by electrochemical method for non-enzymatic glucose biosensor.

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanostructure has been synthesized using an electrochemical method with a two-electrode system. Cu foils were used as electrodes and NH2(OH) was utilized as the reducing agent. The effects of pH and applied voltages on the morphology of the product were investigated. The morphology and optical properties of Cu2O particles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and diffuse reflectance spectra. The synthesized Cu2O nanostructures that formed in the vicinity of the anode at 2 V and pH = 11 showed high uniform distribution, small size, and good electrochemical sensing. These Cu2O nanoparticles were coated on an Indium tin oxide substrate and applied to detect non-enzyme glucose as excellent biosensors. The non-enzyme glucose biosensors exhibited good performance with high response, good selectivity, wide linear detection range, and a low detection limit at 0.4 µM. Synthesized Cu2O nanostructures are potential materials for a non-enzyme glucose biosensor.

CuO-Decorated ZnO Hierarchical Nanostructures as Efficient and Established Sensing Materials for H2S Gas Sensors.

Highly sensitive hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas sensors were developed from CuO-decorated ZnO semiconducting hierarchical nanostructures. The ZnO hierarchical nanostructure was fabricated by an electrospinning method following hydrothermal and heat treatment. CuO decoration of ZnO hierarchical structures was carried out by a wet method. The H2S gas-sensing properties were examined at different working temperatures using various quantities of CuO as the variable. CuO decoration of the ZnO hierarchical structure was observed to promote sensitivity for H2S gas higher than 30 times at low working temperature (200 °C) compared with that in the nondecorated hierarchical structure. The sensing mechanism of the hybrid sensor structure is also discussed. The morphology and characteristics of the samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis absorption, photoluminescence (PL), and electrical measurements.

Porous Au-embedded WO3 Nanowire Structure for Efficient Detection of CH4 and H2S.

We developed a facile method to fabricate highly porous Au-embedded WO3 nanowire structures for efficient sensing of CH4 and H2S gases. Highly porous single-wall carbon nanotubes were used as template to fabricate WO3 nanowire structures with high porosity. Gold nanoparticles were decorated on the tungsten nanowires by dipping in HAuCl4 solution, followed by oxidation. The surface morphology, structure, and electrical properties of the fabricated WO3 and Au-embedded WO3 nanowire structures were examined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and current-voltage measurements. Formation of a nanowire structure resulted in significant enhancement in sensing response to H2S and CH4 gases. Furthermore, Au embedment into the WO3 nanowire structures remarkably improved the performance of the sensors. The increase in response performance of sensors and adsorption-desorption kinetic processes on the sensing layers were discussed in relation with the role of Au embedment.