Self-assembly biomimetic fern leaf-like α-Fe2O3 for sensing inflammable 1-butanol gas

•The fern leaf-like α-Fe2O3 was synthesized by a template-free hydrothermal process.•The sensor presents the high-performance sensitivity of 2 ppm for 1-butanol gas.•The sensor exhibits excellent selectivity and stability.

Self-assembly biomimetic fern leaf-like α-Fe2O3 (SABFF) has been synthesized by a facile template-free hydrothermal process. The SEM images of this sample evidently reveal that the crystal nucleus with hexagonal structure is self-assembly sculptured and gradually grows the regular six biomimetic fern leaf-like α-Fe2O3 along six corners. Furthermore, the stem of the individual fern leaf-like α-Fe2O3 with the length of approximately 6 μm and the width of 9-12 nm was clearly demonstrated in the TEM images. Based on it, we developed a ceramic tube gas sensor, presenting the high-performance sensitivity of 2 ppm for inflammable 1-butanol gas. Also, this gas sensor exhibits excellent selectivity and stability. The corresponding response and recovery times of 100 ppm 1-butanol were optimized to be about 34 s and 21 s, respectively. Therefore, this kind of SABFF will be a potential excellent gas sensing materials for safety monitor in an explosive or inflammable atmosphere.