Enhanced formaldehyde sensing properties of MoS2-Zn2SnO4 nanocomposites synthesized via hydrothermal method

For the purpose of detecting indoor formaldehyde, some new nanocomposites MoS2-Zn2SnO4 were synthesized via hydrothermal method, the materials were characterized by XRD, N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, SEM, EDS and XPS, respectively. From XRD, the formation of Zn2SnO4 was confirmed, besides; increased oxygen contents (XPS) and enhanced surface area (BET) of MZSO-5 together facilitated larger adsorption of formaldehyde, which explained the maximum response of this sample to formaldehyde vapor. The complete study regarding gas sensing measurements stated that MSZO-5 based sensor enhanced the gas sensing response to 100 ppm formaldehyde compared with other tested seven volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the identified response was 22 at 110 degrees C, while for other VOCs the highest response (7.1) to 100 ethanol was detected, which revealed its good selectivity to formaldehyde; especially, the response reached 1.35 to 0.01 ppm formaldehyde. Thus, it could be a potential candidate for detecting formaldehyde, if its stability was improved.