Ultra-low concentration detection of NH3 using rGO/Cu2O nanocomposites at low temperature

It has been a major challenge to develop a gas sensor capable of detecting ppb-level ammonia (NH3) with high response at low temperature. Herein, Cu2O nanoblocks uniformly dispersed on wrinkle structure of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-based nanocomposites synthesized via a water bath heating method. Characterizations results illustrate that Cu2O nanoblocks are evenly dispersed on the surface of rGO. Additionally, The gas sensing experiments displayed that the as-obtained rGO/Cu2O nanocomposites exhibited the extremely fast response (1s) and recovery time (1s), high-performance gas sensing property for ultra-low concentration (5 ppb) NH3 detections at low temperature (80 degrees C), which owe to the mesoporous structure, excellent charge carriers transport properties and large specific surface area. Meanwhile, the probable enhancing mechanism of rGO/Cu2O nanocomposites was discussed as well. Therefore, it is expected that rGO/Cu2O nanocomposites with remarkable sensing performance for the future development in monitoring and detecting NH3 at low temperature.

Automated summary

The study successfully developed a gas sensor capable of efficiently detecting ultra-low concentrations of ammonia at low temperatures. By uniformly dispersing Cu2O nanoblocks on the wrinkle structure of rGO, the sensing performance was significantly enhanced. The experiments showed extremely fast response and recovery times, providing important insights for future NH3 monitoring at low temperatures.