Experimental verification of mixed metal oxide-based sensor for multiple sensing application

• Published in: Materials letters 2021-10, Vol.301, p.130248, Article 130248
• Main Authors: Ramany, Kiruthika, Shankararajan, Radha, Savarimuthu, Kirubaveni, Venkatachalapathi, Shyamala, Sivakumar, Gayathri, Murali, Devipriya, Gunasekaran, Iyappan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceleration; Diffraction patterns; Ferric oxide; Field emission microscopy; Gas; Gas sensors; Materials science; Metal oxides; Mixed Metal; Nanoparticle; Nanoparticles; Nanorods; P-n junctions; Photoconductivity; Piezoelectric; Piezoelectricity; Room temperature; Sensor; Sensors; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides
• ISSN: 0167-577X; 1873-4979
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2021.130248

•MMO sensor was fabricated using hydrothermal method.•Fabricated sensor subjected to acceleration sensing setup gave an output voltage.•Fabricated sensor subjected to gas sensing setup gave change in resistance.•This sensor finds plausible application for multiple sensing. Mixed Metal Oxide (MMO) based piezoelectric sensor was fabricated using Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Ferric Oxide (Fe2O3). The X-Ray diffraction pattern shows the presence of ZnO and Fe2O3 with the respective characteristic peaks. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope confirms the ZnO nanorods grown using the hydrothermal method and shows the deposition of Fe2O3 nanoparticles on the ZnO nanorods. The electrical analysis using photoconductivity study reveals the formation of p-n junction in both the samples. The fabricated MMO sensor when subjected to piezoelectric sensing set up gave an improved output voltage of 1.32 V for 1 g input acceleration compared to the other. Similarly, when both the sensors were exposed to gas sensing setup, improved sensitivity of 7.66 and 0.791 for 100 ppm of Carbon Monoxide and Methane at room temperature respectively was obtained when compared to the other sensor fabricated.