Reduced graphene oxide/α-Fe2O3 hybrid nanocomposites for room temperature NO2 sensing

The reduced graphene oxide/α-Fe2O3 (rGO/α-Fe2O3) hybrid nanocomposites have been prepared by a facile hydrothermal approach. The components and morphologies of the as-synthesized products were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). NO2 sensing properties of rGO/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposites are tested at room temperature (25 °C) with NO2 concentration ranging from 0.1 to 5.0 ppm. It is demonstrated that the rGO/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposites based sensor exhibited enhanced response (3.86) for 5 ppm NO2 compared to pure rGO (1.38). The improved sensing features can be attributed to this hybrid sensor of synergistic effect between the highly conductive graphene and the α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles.