NiO/BiVO4 p-n heterojunction microspheres for conductometric triethylamine gas sensors

Triethylamine (TEA), a clear and colorless liquid with strong ammonia odor, has great danger to human health and environment. We synthesize the NiO/BiVO4 p-n heterojunction microspheres using hydrothermal method for TEA detection. To characterize the as-prepared samples, XRD, XPS, SEM, UV-vis, and EIS are used. Among the pure NiO, BiVO4, 5%NiO-BiVO4 and 30%NiO-BiVO4, the 10%NiO-BiVO4 sensor exhibits excellent gas sensing properties, including fast response/recovery times, high humidity resistance, and low detection limit of 3.42 ppb toward TEA. Moreover, the enhanced mechanism of NiO/BiVO4 p-n heterojunction microsphere is also proposed. Consequently, NiO coupled with BiVO4 to form NiO-BiVO4 can be an effective strategy for improving TEA gas sensors.

Automated summary

NiO/BiVO4 p-n heterojunction microspheres were synthesized using hydrothermal method for detection of triethylamine (TEA), which poses great danger to human health and environment. The prepared samples were characterized using XRD, XPS, SEM, UV-vis, and EIS. Among the different samples, the 10%NiO-BiVO4 sensor exhibited excellent gas sensing properties with fast response/recovery times, high humidity resistance, and low detection limit (3.42 ppb) towards TEA. The enhanced mechanism of the NiO/BiVO4 p-n heterojunction microsphere was also proposed. Therefore, coupling NiO with BiVO4 to form NiO-BiVO4 can be an effective strategy for improving TEA gas sensors.