Microemulsion-based synthesis of porous zinc ferrite nanorods and its application in a room-temperature ethanol sensor

Porous zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) nanorods with a diameter of around 50 nm and a length of several micrometers have been synthesized by a microemulsion-based method in combination with calcination at 500 degrees C. The morphology and structure of the ZnFe2O4 nanorods and its precursor (ZnFe2(C2O4)(3) nanorods) were systematically characterized by x-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The formation mechanism for the porous ZnFe2O4 nanorods is also discussed. Moreover, the porous ZnFe2O4 nanorods were applied in a room-temperature ethanol sensor and exhibited much better sensing performance than ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles.