SnO2QDs sensitized ZnFe2O4spheres with enhanced acetone sensing performance.

ABSTRACT

Herein, SnO2QDs (<10 nm) with small size instead of conventional nanoparticles was employed to modify ZnFe2O4to synthesize porous and heterogeneous SnO2/ZnFe2O4(ZFSQ) composites for gas sensing. By an immersion process combined with calcination treatment, the resultant porous ZFSQ composites with different contents of SnO2QDs were obtained, and their sensing properties were investigated. Compared with bare ZnFe2O4and SnO2QDs, porous ZFSQ composites based-sensors showed much improved sensor response to acetone. For contrast, the sensor performance of ZFSQ composites was also compared with that of ZnFe2O4sphere modified by SnO2nanoparticles with different size. The porous ZFSQ composite with 5 wt% SnO2QDs (ZFSQ-5) showed a better acetone sensing response than that of other ZFSQ composites, and it exhibited a high response value of 110-100 ppm of acetone and a low detection limit of 0.3 ppm at 240 °C. In addition to the rich heterojunctions and porous structure, the size effect of SnO2QDs was other indispensable reasons for the improved sensor performance. Finally, the ZFSQ-5 composite sensor was attempted to be applied for acetone sensing in exhaled breath, suggesting its great potential in monitoring acetone.