# Fabrication of Low-Temperature ppb-Level Ethanol Gas Sensor Based on Hierarchical NiO-SnO2 Nanoflowers Under Hydrothermal Conditions

## TL;DR

Researchers created a low-temperature ethanol gas sensor using NiO-SnO2 nanoflowers, which showed better performance than pure SnO2.

## Contribution

A new ethanol gas-sensing material based on hierarchical NiO-SnO2 nanoflowers is introduced, offering improved performance at low temperatures.

## Key findings

- Hierarchical NiO-SnO2 nanoflowers outperformed pure SnO2 nanoflowers in ethanol sensing at 164 °C.
- The enhanced performance is attributed to p-n heterojunctions and catalytic effects of NiO.
- The nanoflowers are promising for fabricating high-quality ethanol gas sensors.

## Abstract

Hierarchical NiO-SnO2 nanoflowers were prepared via a one-step hydrothermal method. The morphology, structure and components of the hierarchical NiO-SnO2 nanoflowers were examined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The ethanol gas-sensing performance was systematically analyzed between pure hierarchical SnO2 nanoflowers and the hierarchical NiO-SnO2 nanoflowers. The results indicated that the hierarchical NiO-SnO2 nanoflowers showed better gas-sensing properties than the pure hierarchical SnO2 nanoflowers at 164 °C. The enhanced gas-sensing performance was ascribed to the formation of p-n heterojunctions between p-type NiO and n-type SnO2. Additionally, NiO has a catalytic role. Therefore, hierarchical NiO-SnO2 nanoflowers could be a potential gas-sensing material for the fabrication of high-quality ethanol gas sensors.