Highly Sensitive Chemiresistive Sensor Based on Hydrothermally Synthesized ZnO Nanorods for Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds Associated With Breast Cancer

Abstract

In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized using a hydrothermal method and precisely drop-coated onto an interdigitated electrode as sensing material for detecting breast cancer associated volatile organic compounds, such as heptanal and 2-propanol. The synthesized ZnO nanorods were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron micro- scopy (SEM), UV–visible spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to analyze their structural properties, surface morphology, optical behavior, and elemental composition. The sensor demonstrated excellent sensitivity, strong linearity, and reliable repeatability in its detection performance. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on the use of ZnO nanorods for the detection of breast cancer-associated volatile organic compounds, such as heptanal and 2-propanol.