Highly Sensitive Room Temperature H<sub>2</sub>S Gas Sensor Based on the Nanocomposite of MoS<sub>2</sub>–ZnCo<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>
Shama Sadaf, Hongpeng Zhang, Daru Chen, Ali Akhtar
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The stacking 2D materials, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), are among the most promising candidates for detecting H 2 S gas. Herein, we designed a series of novel nanocomposites consisting of MoS 2 and ZnCo 2 O 4 . These materials were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method. The microstructure and morphology of nanocomposites were studied by different characteristics such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These nanocomposites were used as gas sensors, and the highest response (6.6) toward 10 ppm of H 2 S was detected by the gas sensor of MZCO-6 (having MoS 2 contents 0.060 g) among all other tested sensors. The response value ( R a / R g ) was almost three times that of pure ZnCo 2 O 4 ( R a / R g = 2). In addition, the sensor of MZCO-6 exposed good selectivity, short response/recovery time (12/28 s), long-term stability (28 days), and a low detection limit (0.5 ppm) toward H 2 S gas at RT. The excellent performance of MZCO-6 may be attributed to some features of MoS 2, such as stack structure, higher BET and surface area and active sites, a synergistic effect, etc. This simple fabrication sensor provides a novel idea for detecting H 2 S gas at RT.