Facile hydrothermal synthesis of NiCo2O4 nanocomposites for n-butanol gas detection at low-working temperature

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics 2023, Vol.34 (3), p.166, Article 166
• Main Authors: Mathivanan, Agalya, Jothibas, M., Srinivasan, Soorya, Muthuvel, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Butanol; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical composition; Chemistry and Materials Science; Crystal structure; Gas sensors; Hydrothermal crystal growth; Low concentrations; Materials Science; Nanocomposites; Nickel compounds; Optical and Electronic Materials; R&D; Research & development; Selectivity; Sensors; Synthesis
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-022-09669-6

The need for more efficient detection of toxic gas has driven the research and development of gas sensors. In this study, a NiCo 2 O 4 nanocomposite gas sensor for n -butanol is synthesized by a hydrothermal route. Hydrothermally synthesized NiCo 2 O 4 nanocomposites were characterized by analyzing their crystal structure, phase purity, morphology, and elemental and chemical composition using a wide range of state-of-the-art techniques. Compared to competing materials, the gas sensing properties of NiCo 2 O 4 are improved by the influence of Ni with a 2:1 ratio on the crystal structure. At 303 K, the n -butanol measurement showed a sensitivity of around (250%) and a selectivity of to 50 ppm. Both the reaction and recovery times are very fast (65 and 108 s, respectively), and the stability over time is superb. As a result, NiCo 2 O 4 is appealing as a sensor material for detecting n -butanol gas at low concentrations. Furthermore, the strategies for enhancing the detecting performance of NiCo 2 O 4 -based gas sensors are introduced.