The study of structural properties of carbon nanotubes decorated with NiFe2O4 nanoparticles and application of nano-composite thin film as H2S gas sensor

Nano-composite of multiwall carbon nanotube, decorated with NiFe2O4 nanopartides (NiFe2O4-MWCNT), was synthesized using the sol-gel method. NiFe2O4-MWCNTs were characterized using different methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The average size of the crystallites is 23.93 nm. The values of the saturation magnetization (M-S), coercivity (H-C) and retentivity (M-R) of NiFe2O4-MWCNTs are obtained as 15 emu g(-1), 21 Oe and 5 emu g(-1), respectively. In this research, NiFe2O4-MWCNT thin films were prepared with the spin-coating method. These thin films were used as the H2S gas sensor. The results suggest the possibility of the utilization of NiFe2O4-MWCNT nano-composite, as the H2S detector. The sensor shows appropriate response towards 100 ppm of H2S at 300 degrees C. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.