The use of peanut shells as a bio-template to prepare K-doped In2O3 porous sheets for chlorine detection†

Abstract

Chlorine (Cl₂) is highly toxic and pungent, and can cause irreversible harm to humans even at low concentrations. Therefore, it is significant to develop a sensor that is highly sensitive to trace amounts of Cl₂ leakage. In this work, inexpensive peanut shells are used as a biological template to prepare K-doped indium oxide (K-In₂O₃) porous sheets through a simple three-step process. The characterization results reveal the porous sheet microstructure of the prepared K-In₂O₃ derived from the peanut shell bio-template, and the obtained material possesses rich oxygen vacancies and a high specific surface area. Gas-sensing tests demonstrate that the K-In₂O₃ porous sheet sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity to low concentrations of Cl₂.