Recent progress in the ZnO nanostructure-based sensors

This review focuses on the sensors based on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures, which have fascinating properties including large specific surface area, good biocompatibility, high electron mobility and piezoelectricity. Due to these versatile characteristics, ZnO nanostructures can be based upon to construct gas sensors, chemical sensors, biosensors, UV sensors, pH sensors and other sensors with different sensing mechanisms. The main structures of the sensors and factors influencing the sensitivity are also discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.