Toward a Highly Functional Hybrid ZnO Nanofiber–rGO Gas Sensor

Abstract

Herein, a hybrid ZnO nanofiber/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) gas sensor is fabricated to detect acetone gas. Metal oxides, including ZnO, SnO2, and TiO2, have been widely used as gas sensors. This article investigates the implications of incorporating rGO into the network of ZnO nanofibers for the sensing characteristics of ZnO. Electrospinning, followed by a calcination treatment at 600 °C, is used to synthesize ZnO nanofibers. The synthesis is carried out with different ratios of zinc acetate (ZnAc) and GO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used to study the morphology of the nanofibers before and after calcination. Results show that the diameter of nanofibers before and after calcination is in the range of 400–650 and 190–480 nm, respectively. Results also confirm that rGO sheets are very well intermingled with ZnO nanofibers. It appear that the higher the weight fraction of ZnAc, the higher sensitivity to acetone can be attained. The addition of graphene to the ZnO‐based sensor is associated with an increase in the sensitivity of the fabricated sensor from 2.3 to 4 and a significant decrease in the operating temperature of the sensor from 400 to 200 °C.

Facile Synthesis of Ag Nanowire/TiO2 and Ag Nanowire/TiO2/GO Nanocomposites for Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B

“…This confirms that Ag-TiO 2 bonds formed within the composite. Peaks observed at 3400, 2900, 1975, 1637, 1570, 1375, 1220, and 850-1200 cm −1 are assigned to O-H, CH 2 , -COOH, C=O, C=C, COO, C-OH, and C-O functional groups, respectively [21]. The GO-containing sample showed some extra absorption peaks within the IR range, more specifically 1065, 1155, 1225, and 1375 cm −1 .…”

“…The intensities of the mentioned GO-related peaks are rather weak, which possibly has to do with the possible compound formation between GO and TiO 2 [12]. [21]. The GO-containing sample showed some extra absorption peaks within the IR range, more specifically 1065, 1155, 1225, and 1375 cm −1 .…”

Electrospun ZnO Nanofiber Based Resistive Gas/Vapor Sensors -A Review

“…[143,144] The reduced graphene oxide (rGO) decorated with oxygen functional group provides more adsorption sites, which helps to improve the sensor sensitivity. [145][146][147] Salehi et al [148] studied the gas sensing mechanism of acetone gas by doping reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to the zinc acetate solution by electrospinning technique. Different varying zinc acetate and graphene ratios are selected to obtain the optimal concentration for a high response.…”

One-Dimensional Metal Oxide Nanostructures for Chemical Sensors

“…As an example, Figure 11 shows TEM images of an electrospun nanofiber of SnO 2 loaded with rGO [139]. Double-shell hollow nanofibers are usually obtained, with the rGO nanosheets on top of the MOS nanograins [139][140][141][142][143]. Generally, it has been found that the rGO-loaded MOS nanofibers are more sensitive to specific gases and that the optimal operating temperature (i.e., the temperature at which the sensor response reaches a maximum) is lower than that of the pure MOS nanofibers.…”