MWCNTs/Fe₂O₃:ZnO Nanocomposite Material for Chemoresistive Sensing of Hydrogen Peroxide Vapors

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide is widely used in medical and industrial applications, and the rapid detection of low concentrations of its vapor is considered to be a major challenge. In this study, we have successfully implemented the fabrication of an MWCNTs/ Fe 2 O 3 :ZnO chemoresistive sensor for hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) detection using RF magnetron sputtering and electron-beam deposition methods. The material properties of the MWCNTs/ Fe 2 O 3 :ZnO structure were characterized in detail using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) elementary analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The HPV sensing performances of the sensors were investigated in the temperature range 25−250 °C with and without ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Sensor response values ranged from 35 to 1043 and from 7.3 to 198 at operating temperatures of 100 °C (without UV irradiation) and 150 °C (with UV irradiation), respectively, in the HPV concentration range of 1.5−22 ppm. Therefore, the Fe 2 O 3 :ZnO material decorated with MWCNTs is a promising candidate for integration into real-life HPV detection systems.