Issue 32, 2013

WO3 nanonodule-decorated hybrid carbon nanofibers for NO2 gas sensor application

Abstract

WO3 nanonodule-decorated carbon nanofibers (CNFs) of various diameters were fabricated by single-nozzle co-electrospinning using two phase-separated polymer solutions. Using more polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solution decreased the CNF diameter from 130 to 40 nm and increased the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area from 147 to 276 m2 g−1. A spin-coating method was used to deposit the hybrid CNFs on the sensor substrate to minimize the contact resistance between them. In addition, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation lowered the desorption energy level of the NO2 gas between the transducer materials during the recovery time. As a result, the recovery time decreased to ca. 7 min using UV light with an intensity of 75 mW cm−2. The sensitivity of the hybrid CNF gas sensors increased with decreasing diameter of the CNFs; the minimum detectable level (MDL) was 1 ppm at room temperature for 40 nm hybrid CNFs dispersed uniformly on the electrode. Furthermore, increasing the amount of decorated WO3 nanonodules on the CNF surface enhanced the sensitivity to NO2 gas. The NO2 sensor made with the hybrid CNFs had sensing performance comparable to those made with conventional metal oxide-based nanomaterials and pristine carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

Graphical abstract: WO3 nanonodule-decorated hybrid carbon nanofibers for NO2 gas sensor application

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Apr 2013
Accepted
30 May 2013
First published
30 May 2013

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 9099-9106

WO3 nanonodule-decorated hybrid carbon nanofibers for NO2 gas sensor application

J. S. Lee, O. S. Kwon, D. H. Shin and J. Jang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013, 1, 9099 DOI: 10.1039/C3TA11658A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements