An Investigation on the Acetone and Ethanol Vapor-Sensing Behavior of Sol-Gel Electrospun ZnO Nanofibers Using an Indigenous Setup

Niranjan N Prabhu; Basavannadevaru Shivamurthy; Srinivasan Anandhan; Bharathipura Venkataramana Rajendra; Jagadeesh Chandra Regati Basanna; Manu Srivathsa

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c06744

An Investigation on the Acetone and Ethanol Vapor-Sensing Behavior of Sol-Gel Electrospun ZnO Nanofibers Using an Indigenous Setup

ACS Omega. 2023 Dec 11;8(51):49057-49066. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c06744. eCollection 2023 Dec 26.

Authors

Niranjan N Prabhu¹, Basavannadevaru Shivamurthy¹, Srinivasan Anandhan², Bharathipura Venkataramana Rajendra³, Jagadeesh Chandra Regati Basanna⁴, Manu Srivathsa³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, India.
² Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology-Karnataka, Srinivas Nagar, Mangalore 575025, India.
³ Department of Physics, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India.
⁴ Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India.

Abstract

The calibration is essential for accuracy, repeatability, and continuous trouble-free operation of gas sensors with safety. Most gas sensors are fabricated using metal oxide nanomaterials in different structures such as films, coating, or nanofibers. Therefore, a device in the sensor manufacturing industry is necessary to test, calibrate, and optimize metal oxide structures. In this point of view, a simple device is developed to test and estimate the sensing response, response time, and recovery time of nanostructures. The sol-gel method was used to produce nanofibers through electrospinning. An average fiber diameter of 245 nm was obtained after pyrolysis at 600 °C. The structure and composition of ZnO nanofibers are confirmed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller. The trials were taken using ZnO nanofibers in the presence of acetone and ethanol vapor, and the results were reported. High response (31.74), rapid response (40 s), and recovery (30 s) times have been achieved for ethanol gas to 50 ppm concentration test gas at an optimal temperature of 260 °C. The results obtained from the trials are compared with the literature results, which are in line with the values presented by the various researchers. Due to the low cost, easy maintenance, and accuracy, this device is recommended in metal oxide sensor development industries and laboratories.