Synthesis of Al-doped ZnO Nanorods via Microemulsion Method and Their Application as a CO Gas Sensor

Aluminum doped ZnO (AZO) nanorods were synthesized by microemulsion method with different types of surfactants. The phase and the morphology of the above nanorods were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). SEM observations showed that the ZnO nanorods had diameters around about 50-200 nm and lengths up to several micrometers. The CO gas sensing properties of the AZO nanorods were tested at operating temperatures of 200, 300, 350 and 400 °C. It was found that AZO nanorods based sensor exhibited the highest sensitivity to CO at 350 °C.