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. 2021 Nov 22;11(11):903.
doi: 10.3390/membranes11110903.

Incorporation of Au Nanoparticles on ZnO/ZnS Core Shell Nanostructures for UV Light/Hydrogen Gas Dual Sensing Enhancement

Yu-Sheng Tsai  1 , Deng-Yi Wang  2 , Jia-Jie Chang  2 , Keng-Tien Liang  2 , Ya-Hsuan Lin  2 , Chih-Chen Kuo  2 , Ssu-Han Lu  2 , Yewchung Sermon Wu  1 , Lukas Jyuhn-Hsiarn Lee  3   4   5   6 , Hsiang Chen  2 , Dong-Sing Wuu  2
Affiliations

Incorporation of Au Nanoparticles on ZnO/ZnS Core Shell Nanostructures for UV Light/Hydrogen Gas Dual Sensing Enhancement

Yu-Sheng Tsai et al. Membranes (Basel). .

Abstract

ZnO/ZnS nanocomposite-based nanostructures exhibit dual light and gas sensing capabilities. To further boost the light/dual sensing properties, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were incorporated into the core-shell structures. Multiple material characterizations revealed that Au NPs were successfully well spread and decorated on ZnO/ZnS nanostructures. Furthermore, our findings show that the addition of Au NPs could enhance both 365 nm UV light sensing and hydrogen gas sensing in terms of light/gas sensitivity and light/gas response time. We postulate that the optimization of gas/light dual sensing capability may result from the induced electric field and inhabitation of electron-hole recombination. Owing to their compact size, simple fabrication, and stable response, ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs-based light/gas dual sensors are promising for future extreme environmental monitoring.

Keywords: Au nanoparticle; UV light; ZnO/ZnS core shell; dual sensing; electric field; hydrogen.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflict of interest to declare. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the result.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of the manufacturing process of ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs on SiO2 substrates.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) An FESEM image of ZnO nanorods; (b,c) FESEM images of ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs nanocomposites; (d) A cross-section SEM image of ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs. (e) EDX analysis of ZnO/ZnS/Au NRs.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a,b) TEM images of ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs nanocomposites in different locations.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) The O 1s (b) Zn 2p (c) S 2p, and (d) Au 4f XPS spectra of the nanocomposite based on ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) PL measurements of ZnO NRs, ZnO/ZnS NRs, and ZnO/ZnS/Au NP nanocomposites; (b) The mechanism of defect luminescence enhancement by Au NPs (c) XRD patterns of ZnO NRs and ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs. The XRD peak of ZnO/ZnS/Au: Au (d) and ZnS (e).
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) PL measurements of ZnO NRs, ZnO/ZnS NRs, and ZnO/ZnS/Au NP nanocomposites; (b) The mechanism of defect luminescence enhancement by Au NPs (c) XRD patterns of ZnO NRs and ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs. The XRD peak of ZnO/ZnS/Au: Au (d) and ZnS (e).
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Hydrogen gas sensing behaviors of ZnO/ZnS and ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs. (b) Hydrogen gas sensing behaviors of ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs at 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 °C. (c) Selectivity between CO and H2 gas. (d) IV curves of ZnO/ZnS and ZnO/ZnS with Au NPs (ID: Dark current and IL: Light current). (e) UV sensing behaviors of the samples. The light sensing rise and recovery times of (f) ZnO/ZnS and (g) ZnO/ZnS with Au NPs. The gas sensing rise and recovery times of (h) ZnO/ZnS and (i) ZnO/ZnS with Au NPs. (j) The detailed mechanisms of dual sensing enhancement.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Hydrogen gas sensing behaviors of ZnO/ZnS and ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs. (b) Hydrogen gas sensing behaviors of ZnO/ZnS/Au NPs at 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 °C. (c) Selectivity between CO and H2 gas. (d) IV curves of ZnO/ZnS and ZnO/ZnS with Au NPs (ID: Dark current and IL: Light current). (e) UV sensing behaviors of the samples. The light sensing rise and recovery times of (f) ZnO/ZnS and (g) ZnO/ZnS with Au NPs. The gas sensing rise and recovery times of (h) ZnO/ZnS and (i) ZnO/ZnS with Au NPs. (j) The detailed mechanisms of dual sensing enhancement.
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