Self-assemblies of Pd nanoparticles on the surfaces of single crystal ZnO nanowires for chemical sensors with enhanced performances

Single-crystalline ZnO nanowires were synthesized, and further modified with Pd nanoparticles through self-assemblies. The self-assembly strategy shows advantages of tailoring the surface modification of ZnO nanowires with monodispersed Pd nanoparticles and further tuning of the functionalities of nano-architectures. It was found that poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) plays a key role in loading Pd nanoparticles onto the surfaces of ZnO nanowires. Having been turned into chemical sensors, the nano-architectures constructed from ZnO nanowires and Pd nanoparticles exhibit a highly enhanced response to H2S gas, compared to the devices from pure ZnO nanowires.