Morphology tuned ZnS nanostructures for hydrogen gas sensing

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics 2011-12, Vol.22 (12), p.1772-1777
• Main Authors: Hafeez, M., Manzoor, U., Bhatti, A. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; General equipment and techniques; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Low-dimensional structures (superlattices, quantum well structures, multilayers): structure, and nonelectronic properties; Materials Science; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of low-dimensional, mesoscopic, and nanoscale materials and structures; Physics; Quantum wires; Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.); remote sensing; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties)
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-011-0361-6

In this paper we present the effect of dimensionality of ZnS nanostructures on hydrogen gas sensing characteristics. Vapor Liquid Solid growth mode was employed to synthesize ZnS nanostructures with different dimensions by controlling the growth parameters, i.e., variation in the substrate temperature and the carrier gas flow rate. The growth was explained by using the chemical tension model and the saturation conditions were determined for each growth. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to determine the phase, shape, size and density of the nanostructures. Optical properties of nanostructures also confirmed the presence of different phases of ZnS. A variety of these nanostructures were tested for hydrogen gas sensing. The rapid response time was obtained for nanowires in few hundred millisecond’s range with a sensitivity of 8, which was due to its high aspect ratio as compared to the other nanostructures.