Ag Doped ZnO Nanowires as Highly Sensitive Ethanol Gas Sensor

Pristine ZnO micro-rods and Ag-doped ZnO nanowires were prepared by facile and cost effective co-precipitation route and were examined for their use as ethanol gas sensor. Characterization techniques such as X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Brunauer Emmet Teller (BET) technique were employed to obtain information regarding structural and morphological properties of pure and doped samples. For gas sensing measurements, thick films of pure and Ag doped ZnO powder were deposited on alumina substrate. It has been observed that dopant significantly enhanced the gas sensing performance towards ethanol vapours, and sensors were able to sense ethanol even at low concentration (similar to 10 ppm) as compared to pure ZnO. The high sensor response of Ag doped ZnO sensors towards ethanol may be attributed to catalytic effect of Ag and higher surface area of nanowires. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.