Porosity engineering of ZnO nanorods for efficient sensing of n-butanol vapor

Porosity engineering is proved as a valid strategy for promoting the gas-sensing response. In this paper, a surface mesopores-rich ZnO nanorod has been successfully demonstrated via a simple solvothermal and followed calcination approach. The microstructure, crystal phase, and surface porosity are further determined by various techniques. Owing to the abundant porosity for favorable gas-permeability and gas-solid interactions, the asfabricated ZnO sensor displays an apparent response for detecting n-butanol vapor in terms of high response (R-a/R-g = 193.7-100 ppm), low detection limit (similar to 0.1 ppm), as well as remarkable selectivity. Especially, these sensing results towards n-butanol are obviously better than those of reported common ZnO nanorods. This work suggests a reliable method for designing efficient gas sensor by porosity-creating method onto the metal oxide surfaces.

Automated summary

This paper presents a successful method to fabricate a surface mesopores-rich ZnO nanorod sensor for detecting n-butanol vapor. The sensor exhibits high response, low detection limit, and remarkable selectivity due to its abundant porosity. This work suggests a reliable strategy for designing efficient gas sensors by creating porosity on metal oxide surfaces.