Multimetal Oxide/MXene Heterojunction for Enhanced Light-activated Ethanol Gas-sensing Performance

Abstract

This work focuses on the synthesis of heterostructured composites and the corresponding enhancement of ethanol sensing performance through the combination of internal structural design and external auxiliary light activation. Zn₂SnO₄/ZnO/SnO₂ was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method and then mixed with Ti₃C₂T_x MXene at different dosages to fabricate the heterojunction between Zn₂SnO₄/ZnO/SnO₂ and Ti₃C₂T_x. The specific surface area of the composites was regulated by optimizing MXene content, which is critical for ethanol-sensing performance in this work. Furthermore, owing to the ultraviolet light absorption property of Zn₂SnO₄/ZnO/SnO₂/Ti₃C₂T_x composites, the ultraviolet light excitation was applied as an external auxiliary to further enhance the gas-sensing performance and lower down the working temperature. The optimized composite with 11% (mass fraction) Ti₃C₂T_x exhibits the best ethanol-sensing performance and enhanced sensitivity after ultraviolet irradiation, exhibiting a response of 35.2 toward 100 ppm (parts per million) ethanol with a rapid response/recovery time of 24 s/58 s and decreasing the operating temperature by 60 °C. This study provides a new insight into the fabrication of high-performance metal oxide gas sensors via internal structure optimization and an external light-assisted method.

Keywords

Zn₂SnO₄ / Ti₃C₂T_x / Hydrothermal reduction / Heterojunction / Gas-sensing

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