Highly responsive and selective gas sensors utilizing ZIF-8/porous rGO/ ZnO composites

The advancement of acetone gas sensors with superior responsiveness and selectivity has emerged as a paramount objective in current research endeavors. The current paper employs hydrothermal methodology to generate highly active porous material ZIF-8 on ZnO nanoflowers using porous rGO/ZnO (PGZ) composites as a matrix to form ZIF-8/PGZ composites for the detection of acetone gas. The ZIF-8/PGZ sensor exhibited a notable gas sensitivity, with a response value of 106.27 in the presence of 50 ppm acetone. In addition, at the working temperature of 260 degrees C and 30 % of the relative humidity, the selectivity of the ZIF-8/PGZ gas sensor (S acetone / S interfering = 1.67-6.83) is significantly better compared to that of the PGZ gas sensor (S acetone /S interfering = 1.45-3.74). The porous structure of the synthesized rGO enlarges the specific surface area of the material, which is conducive to facilitating rapid electron transfer during the reaction, resulting in a high response. The ZIF-8/ PGZ material has the shortest adsorption distance and highest adsorption energy for acetone gas, which further improves its response and selectivity. In addition, this study demonstrates the feasibility of the potential mechanism behind the improvement in gas-sensitive performance using density-functional theory (DFT) calculations.