Enhanced LPG Sensitivity for Electron Beam Irradiated Al-ZnO Nanoparticles

Al doped and un-doped ZnO thin films are coated on glass substrate by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction technique with varying doping concentrations of Al from 3 to 7 at%. The samples are annealed at 450 degrees C for 1 h in the air. The structural and morphological analysis of the samples are carried out using XRD and SEM. The samples are irradiated with high energy electron beam at a dosage of 5 kGy and its sensing properties are explored. It is observed that the irradiated samples show an enhanced sensitivity to liquefied petroleum gas than that of unirradiated samples at the same doping concentration. The higher response and recovery time of irradiated samples are compared with unirradiated samples. The maximum sensitivity (S= 0.35) with faster recovery time of 25 s is observed for the 7% doped Al-ZnO thin irradiated film.