Fe doped ZnO nanostructures prepared via sol-gel dip-coating technique for iso-butane (i-C4H10) sensing

Fe doped ZnO (FZO) nanostructures with varying Fe concentrations say 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 wt.% were prepared on the glass substrates via the sol-gel dip-coating technique. Effects of Fe-doping concentration on the structural, morphological, optical properties and the response to iso-butane (i-C4H10) gas of ZnO nanostructures were studied. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that Fe doping has a significant effect on particle size, strain, and crystalline quality in the prepared films. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of the prepared samples revealed nanoparticles and nanorods formation, with content Fe variation. The Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) results confirmed the presence of Zn, O, and Fe elements. UV-Vis absorption measurements showed that the deposited films have a transmittance between 69% and 89%, and the differential optical transmittance plot indicated that the band gap energy decreases with increasing Fe doping ratio. The sensitivity characteristics to iso-butane gas were evaluated as a function of the film composition, operating temperature in the range from 150 to 300 degrees C, and volume gas concentration from 0.8 to 6.4 Vol.%. The obtained results showed that the iso-butane response, as well as the structural, morphological, and optical properties of ZnO nano-structures, changed with the Fe doping. Also, the iso-butane sensing results evidently showed that the 3 wt.% Fe doped ZnO nanostructure offered a remarkable response of similar to 76.3% with a quick response time of similar to 67 s to 0.8 Vol.% of i-C4H10 at the optimum operating temperature of 250 degrees C. Therefore, FZO nanostructures produced can be used as a sensor for the detection of iso-butane gas in various industrial and domestic branches.

Automated summary

Fe-doped ZnO (FZO) nanostructures were prepared with varying Fe concentrations and their effects on the structural, morphological, optical properties, and response to iso-butane gas were studied. The results showed that Fe doping significantly influenced the performance of ZnO nanostructures, with the 3 wt.% Fe-doped ZnO exhibiting excellent sensitivity to iso-butane gas.