BiVO4 nanomaterials are potentially applicable in gas sensing, but the sensing performance is limited by the less active sites on the BiVO4 surface. In this work, we propose a strategy to improve the gas-sensing performance of BiVO4 by forming ultrathin nanosheets and introducing oxygen vacancies, which increase the surface active sites. Two-dimensional (2D) BiVO4 nanosheets with oxygen vacancies are prepared through a colloidal method with the assistance of nitric acid. Gas sensors based on the oxygen-defective 2D ultrathin BiVO4 nanosheets exhibit an enhanced sensing response, which is 3.4 times higher than those of the sensors based on oxygen-abundant BiVO4 nanosheets. The density functional theory calculation is employed to uncover the promoting effects of oxygen vacancies on enhancing the O2 adsorption capability of BiVO4 nanosheets. This work is not only expected to build a wide range of 2D metal oxide semiconductors with a high gas-sensing performance but also gives an insight into the mechanism of the enhanced response induced by the oxygen vacancies, which will be a guideline for further designing high-performance sensing materials.
Keywords: 2D nanosheets; BiVO; colloidal synthesis; gas sensing; oxygen vacancy.