Evaluation of spray pyrolysed In:ZnO nanostructures for CO gas sensing at low concentration

Herein, we report the role of indium (In) on the carbon monoxide sensing of ZnO thin films using a low-cost spray pyrolysis technique. The decrease in crystalline size was observed from XRD studies and hexagonal wurtzite structure was confirmed. Photoluminescence and XPS studies proved the presence of various defects in the films. The gas-sensing properties of films toward carbon monoxide (CO) gas indicate that 15 wt% of In in ZnO thin films (IZO) exhibit high response (1.84) to a low concentration of the gas (1 ppm) at 300 degrees C compared to undoped ZnO (0.53). The observed high response of 15 wt% IZO can be mainly endorsed to the oxygen vacancy defects as observed from the photoluminescence and XPS analysis. Further, the high response is complemented by high surface area and smaller grain size (similar to 13.1 nm) with well-defined grain boundaries as evident from SEM analysis as well as XRD studies.

Automated summary

In this study, the role of indium (In) in ZnO thin films for carbon monoxide sensing was investigated using a low-cost spray pyrolysis technique. The results showed that 15 wt% of In in ZnO thin films (IZO) exhibited high response to low concentrations of CO gas at 300 degrees C, attributed to oxygen vacancy defects and smaller grain size.