Breathtaking competition in ethylene glycol sensing of ZnCo2O4 and ZnCo2O4/graphene nanoparticles
摘要
This study involves the prepration of ZnCo2O4 and ZnCo2O4/graphene nanostructures to investigate their sensing capabilities toward ethylene glycol vapors (in different concentrations 100-500 ppm). Several characterizations were carried out to confirm the composition and identify the prepared samples, including XRD (X-ray diffraction), EDX (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), FESEM (field emission scanning electron microscopy), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), DRS (diffuse reflectance spectroscopy), and BET (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis). Although there is a slight difference between the responses of ZnCo2O4 and ZnCo2O4/graphene, the response time of ZnCo2O4/graphene sample was significantly better and the linear responses belonged to the ZnCo2O4/graphene-based sensor. The ZnCo2O4/graphene based sensor appears more suitable for practical applications. The ZnCo2O4/graphene based sensor has the best selevtivity toward ethylene glycol in the presence of other gas vapors including ethanol, acetone, N,N-Dimethylformamide, isopropanol, methanol, and triethylamine. The limit of detection of the mentioned sensor was found 33 parts per billion (ppb).
Graphical Abstract