Qian X, Chen Y, Tao Y, Zhang J, Zhang G, Xu H. Facile synthesis of NiFe
2O
4-based nanoblocks for low-temperature detection of trace
n-butanol.
RSC Adv 2024;
14:2214-2225. [PMID:
38213961 PMCID:
PMC10777276 DOI:
10.1039/d3ra07264a]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Fe2O3-loaded NiFe2O4 nanoblocks were successfully developed under a straightforward one-step hydrothermal synthesis method, aiming to detect trace amounts of n-butanol at the parts per billion (ppb) concentration range. The synthesized samples were comprehensively characterized using various techniques, including XRD, SEM, XPS, TEM and SAED. At a tantalizingly low temperature of 130 °C, the Ni/Fe-2 gas sensor demonstrated the optimum response (Ra/Rg = 29.747 @ 10 ppm) to n-butanol. Furthermore, Ni/Fe-2 sensor exhibited remarkable stability and reproducibility and an ultra-low detection limit. The enhanced gas sensitivity was primarily due to the assembly of Ni/Fe-2 nanoblocks from differently sized nanospheres, which exhibited a rich surface porosity conducive to gas adsorption. Besides, the formation of heterojunctions and the augmentation of oxygen vacancy content are also conducive to enhancing gas sensing capabilities. The Ni/Fe-2 sensor is expected to successfully detect trace amounts of n-butanol.
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