Fe-doped α-MoO3 nanoarrays: Facile solid-state synthesis and excellent xylene-sensing performance

Fe-doped alpha-MoO3 nanoarrays have been synthesized via a facile two-step solid-state chemical reaction process. The Fe element was effectively doped into the alpha-MoO3 nanoarrays self-assembled by nanoplates via an initial room-temperature solid-state reaction and a subsequent mesothermal calcination. The gas-sensing properties of Fe-doped alpha-MoO3 nanoarrays were investigated and the possibility of its application to gas sensors was explored. The result indicated that 0.3 mol% Fe-doped alpha-MoO3 nanoarrays exhibited a high response value (28.5) towards 100 ppm xylene within 2 s, which is attributed to its more oxygen vacancies and surface ionized oxygen species. Furthermore, the 0.3 mol% Fe-doped alpha-MoO3 nanoarrays also manifested a good selectivity and long-term stability. Therefore, the Fe-doped MoO3 nanoarrays are a potential candidate for xylene sensor in future sensing applications.