Synthesis and gas-sensitive properties of Ga doped in MOF-derived Co3O4

The increasing awareness of NOx contamination promotes the development of atmospheric pollution prevention and control technologies, while the gas sensor plays a key role during these processes. Herein, a Ga doped in MOF-derived Co3O4 nanocomposite material was successfully synthesized for the first time, and its chemical composition, structure and gas-sensitive performance were systematically investigated. It was demonstrated that the sensitivity of Ga doped Co3O4 to 100 ppm NOx at room temperature is similar to 52.6%, which is about 5 times as high as that of pure Co3O4 (similar to 10.3%). Besides, the Ga doped Co3O4 also shows good selectivity and cyclic stability. It can be concluded that the gas sensing performance is significantly enhanced by Ga doped Co3O4, which may be attributed to the improvement in oxygen vacancy content and the synergistic effect of p-n heterojunction. This work provides a viable gas-sensing material for the detection of NOx pollution.

Automated summary

A Ga-doped MOF-derived Co3O4 nanocomposite material was synthesized for the first time, and its chemical composition, structure, and gas-sensitive performance were investigated. The Ga-doped Co3O4 showed a sensitivity of about 52.6% to 100 ppm NOx at room temperature, which is about 5 times higher than pure Co3O4 (10.3%). Additionally, the Ga-doped Co3O4 demonstrated good selectivity and cyclic stability. The enhanced gas sensing performance of Ga-doped Co3O4 is attributed to the increase in oxygen vacancy content and the synergistic effect of the p-n heterojunction. This study provides a promising gas-sensing material for the detection of NOx pollution.