Light Trapping-Mediated Room-Temperature Gas Sensing by Ordered ZnO Nano Structures Decorated with Plasmonic Au Nanoparticles.

ABSTRACT: An ordered array of 1D ZnO nanorods obtained by colloidal templating is shown to dramatically enhance the sensing response of NO _x at room temperature by confining light and creating periodic structures. The sensitivity is measured for a concentration varying from 2 to 10 ppm (response 53% at 10 ppm) at room temperature under white light illumination with ?225 nm hole diameter. In contrast, structures with ?450 nm hole size show better sensing under (response 98% at 10 ppm) elevated temperatures in dark conditions, which is attributed to the increased surface chemical interactions with NO _x molecules due to the porous nature and enhanced accessible surface area of ZnO nanorods. Further, the decoration of ZnO Nanorods with gold nanoparticles shows enhanced sensor performance (response 130% at 10 ppm) due to localized surface plasmon resonance under white light illumination. The findings may lead to new opportunities in the visible light-activated room-temperature NO _x sensors for healthcare applications.

SUBMITTER: Chakrabarty P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6682047 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature