Transformation of zinc acetate into ZnO nanofibers for enhanced NOx gas sensing: Cost-effective strategies and additive-free optimization

Gas sensors based on ZnO nanocomposites have been widely investigated for the detection of various gases. However, few studies have reported electrospun ZnO for NOx gases, especially NO (nitrogen monoxide), due to its high tendency for oxidation upon contact with air. The development of gas sensors that operate at temperatures below 300°C is challenging for metal oxide gas sensors, as decreasing the temperature can lead to lack of sensitivity and very long recovery times. In this study, the operating temperature was improved to 200°C while achieving a high response to a low concentration of 0.5 ppm gas, with recovery times of 572s and 105s for NO and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), respectively. Detecting NO and NO2 at low ppm and ppb levels is a major demand and challenge for the development of metal oxide-based gas sensors, especially for health monitoring portable sensors. This study focuses on the design and performance of a NOx gas sensor based on ZnO nanofibrous material with precise structural optimization. The study optimizes the precursor for electrospinning without using any additives. The sensing materials proportion were optimized by changing the ratio of ZnAc:PVA in the precursor of electrospinning solution. Choosing ZnAc:PVA = 1.5 as the optimum precursor for synthesizing ZnO nanofibers resulted in the highest response of 27 and 16 (Ohm/Ohm) for 0.5 ppm NO and NO2, respectively, at 200°C and relative humidity of 50%. Additionally, reproducible sensors were developed, which is crucial for mass production. This remarkable sensitivity in low concentration indicates that the design of material structure and the control of zinc acetate amount in the electrospun solution has great practical applications to detect both gases.