Synthesized α-V2O5 nanoparticles and explored their performance as gas sensors in an ammonia atmosphere

Abstract

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) chemiresistive sensors are effective for detecting ammonia (NH₃), but need high temperatures and have low sensitivity. This work investigates hydrothermally produced α-V₂O₅ irregular nanodiscs as a possible NH₃ sensor for ambient conditions. XRD, UV–vis spectroscopy, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, EDX mapping, and FT-IR were used to identify the material's structure, morphology, composition, and functional groups. The crystallite size (∼27 nm) and band gap (3.4 eV) were determined using the Debye-Scherrer and Tauc equations, respectively, suggesting excellent electronic characteristics. The sensor was tested at 50–500 ppm NH₃ concentrations and shown great sensitivity with quick response (22 s) and recovery (17 s). Importantly, performance remained consistent across various relative humidity levels, suggesting resilience to environmental conditions. These findings suggest that α-V₂O₅ nanodiscs are potentially effective for current time ammonia detection at ambient temperature.