Superior ethanol-sensing performance research of WO3·0.33H2O doped chrysanthemum-like NiO composite

• The synthesized NiO sample presents chrysanthemum-like morphology which was much less reported.
• Doping the WO3·0.33H2O into the NiO to form a special p–n heterojunction was never reported before.
• The composite exhibited outstanding ethanol-sensing performance.
• Schematic model for the doped sensor was built to make the response process clear.

Tungsten doped chrysanthemum-like NiO composite was successfully prepared via the hydrothermal process, then the calcination after mixing. Three relative samples (WO3·0.33H2O–NiO, NiO, WO3·0.33H2O) were tested and confirmed by X-ray diffraction. At the meantime, the Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) was used to prove that the dopant, tungsten, had been doped into the NiO. The morphologies of NiO and WO3·0.33H2O–NiO were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Significantly, the comparation of ethanol-sensing performances among the above three samples was disscussed in detail revealing that the doping of tungsten enhanced the gas-sensing property extremely. In addition, the doping model and gas-sensing mechanism were proposed to elaborate the high improvement of the sensor response to the ethanol.

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