MOFs-derived synthesis of Ni-doped ZnO nanostructutred material towards excellent N-butanol sensing performance and long-term stability

The nanometallic oxides were designed as precursors and the organic substances as ligands, selecting the facile uniform co-precipitation and hydrothermal as preparing methods, the bimetallic organic framework materials (MOF:Ni-ZIF-8) were synthetized with doping different weight of Ni metal elements. The series of ZnO-MOF nanostructures (pure MOF-ZnO, 1% Ni-ZnO, 3% Ni-ZnO, 5% Ni-ZnO, 7% Ni-ZnO, 9% Ni-ZnO) have been achieved after calcination. The structural, morphological and surface electronical features were characterized by XRD, SEM, BET, UV-Vis, XPS and EIS. By using the WS-30A measurement system, the gas sensitive performances of as-prepared materials were tested and analyzed, the effect of Ni dopant was discussed. The results showed that the surface area of 5% Ni doped ZnO achieved 20.248 cm(2)/g with 49.27% exceeding than that of pure MOF-ZnO, and the banding width reduced by 0.041 eV with more oxygen vacancies of 3.88%. Meanwhile, the 5% Ni-ZnO device was much more sensitive to 100 ppm N-butanol up to 138.49, with more advantageous long-term stability and short-term response recovery. Therefore, the introduction of Ni dopant has exerted a certain impact on carrier migration rate and transport performance to produce more oxygen vacancies, which is of great significance towards the preparation of high-efficiency ZnO-based gas sensor.

Automated summary

A series of ZnO-MOF nanostructures were synthesized using the co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods, and their properties were characterized. The study found that Ni doping can increase the surface area of ZnO, reduce the band width, increase oxygen vacancies, and improve the sensitivity and stability of the sensor.