Enhanced cataluminescence sensing characteristics of ethanol on hierarchical spheres ZnO

In the present work, ZnO hierarchical microspheres were synthesized by hydrothermal methods in the sodium dodecyl sulfate-N,N-dimethyl-formamide-thiourea (SDS-DMF-thiourea) system. XRD, SEM, TEM, and N2 adsorption measurements were used to characterize the prepared ZnO materials. Compared with ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), the as-prepared ZnO hierarchical microspheres (ZnO HMs) exhibit a better cataluminescence (CTL) response to ethanol. The response and recovery time of the home-made ethanol gas sensor with zinc oxide hierarchical microspheres as sensing materials were about 5 s and 25 s, respectively. The linear dependence of the sensitivity on the ethanol concentration was observed in the range of 4-400 ppm with excellent selectivity. These results indicated that ZnO hierarchical microspheres would be a good candidate for fabricating practical cataluminescence ethanol sensor.