Moisture-resisting acetone sensor based on MOF-derived ZnO-NiO nanocomposites

ABSTRACT Metal-organic frameworks (MOF) with different Zn and Ni ratios (ZNOF-x) were synthesized by one-step solvothermal method without any surfactant. The ratio of Zn and Ni significantly affect the morphology of the ZNOF-x. Subsequently, MOF-derived ZnO-NiO (ZNO-x) was obtained after the calcination in air atmosphere. Gas sensing experimental was conducted on the as-fabricated ZNO-x sensors, and the measured results demonstrate that ZNO-x-based gas sensor presents lower acetone sensitivity but higher moisture-resistance performance with increasing the amount of Ni under ultra humid atmospheres. Especially, ZNO-5-based sensor exhibits a relative high sensitivity (1.31 to 1 ppm acetone in 95% RH atmosphere) and excellent water-vapor resistance performance (S95%/S11% > 0.8 at 175°C), as well as good response and rapid response/recovery speed for the acetone sensing. Therefore, ZNO-5 is a promising material for acetone detecting in a high humid environment, which is a potential sensing material for the diagnosis of diabetes through exhaled gases analysis.