Prototype Alarm Integrating Pulse-Driven Nitrogen Dioxide Sensor Based on Holey Graphene Oxide/In2O3

NO2 seriously threatens human health and the ecological environment. However, the fabrication of highly sensitive NO2 sensors with rapid response/recovery rates, low detection limits, and ease of integration remains a challenge. Herein, benefiting from the fast carrier transfer and rich active sites, holey graphene oxide (HGO) was adopted to functionalize the In2O3 nanosheet to construct NO2 gas sensors. Characterization and theoretical calculations established the merits of HGO decoration in the NO2 sensing. The optimal sample, 0.5 wt % HGO/In2O3-sheet, exhibited superior sensing properties, resulting in a 1.37-fold improvement in response to 1 ppm of NO2 compared to the GO/In2O3 counterpart. Gas-sensing kinetics analysis revealed its lower activation energy and higher kinetic rate constants. Importantly, pulsed-temperature modulation was employed to decouple the gas adsorption from surface activation processes, achieving an ultrahigh response of 2776 to 1 ppm of NO2 for the 0.5 wt % HGO/In2O3-sheet sensor. Compared to the isothermal mode, this strategy enhanced the response value by 1.6 times, reduced the response/recovery time by 33%/70%, and enabled the detection of NO2 concentrations as low as 1 ppb. Finally, an NO2 monitoring alarm system based on the 0.5 wt % HGO/In2O3-sheet sensor with pulsed-temperature modulation was demonstrated for hazard warnings.

Metal-Organic Framework-Derived Au-Doped In2O3 Nanotubes for Monitoring CO at the ppb Level

Achieving selective detection of ppb-level CO is important for air quality testing at industrial sites to ensure personal safety. Noble metal doping enhances charge transfer, which in turn reduces the detection limit of metal oxide gas sensors. In this work, metal-organic framework-derived Au-doped In2O3 nanotubes with high electrical conductivity are synthesized by pyrolysis of the Au-doped metal-organic framework (In-MIL-68) as a template. Gas-sensing experiments reveal that the detection limit of 0.2% Au-doped In2O3 nanotubes (0.2% Au, mass fraction) is as low as 750 ppb. Meanwhile, the sensing material shows a response value of 18.2 to 50 ppm of CO at 240 °C, which is about 2.8 times higher than that of pure In2O3. Meanwhile, the response and recovery times are short (37 s/86 s). The gas-sensing mechanism of CO is uncovered by in situ DRIFTS through the reaction intermediates. In addition, first-principles calculations suggest that Au doping of In2O3 significantly enhances its adsorption energy for CO and improves the electron transfer properties. This study reveals a novel synthesis pathway for Au-doped In2O3 nanotubular structures and their potential application in low concentration CO detection.

CuO/TiO2/MXene-Based Sensor and SMS-TENG Array Integrated Inspection Robots for Self-Powered Ethanol Detection and Alarm at Room Temperature

In this study, a high-precision CuO/TiO2/MXene ethanol sensor operating at room temperature was prepared. The sensor exhibits excellent response value (95% @1 ppm ethanol), extremely low detection limit (0.3 ppm), fast response/recovery time (16/13 s), and remarkable long-term stability for trace detection of ethanol gas at room temperature, attributed to the p-n heterojunction formed by CuO and TiO2, as well as the rich functional groups and large specific surface area of MXene. Furthermore, a high-performance triboelectric nanogenerator (SMS-TENG) was developed through the introduction of the silicone/Mxene@silicone dual dielectric layer as the triboelectric layer, which improves the charge storage capacity of the dielectric layer and greatly enhances the output performance of the TENG. At the optimal doping ratio, the open-circuit voltage of the SMS-TENG can reach 1160 V, which is sufficient to light 720 LEDs. By combining the sensor and SMS-TENG, the resistive response of ethanol sensing is converted to a voltage response, which amplifies the response value up to 15.8 times. Finally, the designed SMS-TENGs are expected to be arrayed on an inspection robot as energy supply and combined with the CuO/TiO2/Mxene ethanol sensor to build a self-powered ethanol detection alarm system, endowing the inspection robot with the capability of self-powered ethanol detection at ppb level. This work provides an effective pathway for the intelligence of ethanol detection.

Controllable synthesis and enhanced gas sensing performances of AuNPs modified ZnSnO3 hollow nanocubes toward highly sensitive toluene detection

Morphology control and noble metal modification have become effective ways to improve the gas sensing performance of mixed-metal oxides sensor. In this study, ZnSnO3 nanocube structure with different morphologies were...

Facile construction of bowknot-like CuO architectures for improved xylene gas sensing properties

The accurate and rapid monitoring of xylene gas is highly desired for human health and environmental protection. Herein, the bowknot-like CuO architectures have been synthesized through a facile room temperature...