In the present investigation we show the effect of Al doping on the length, size, shape, morphology, and sensing property of ZnO nanorods. Effect of Al doping ultimately leads to tuning of electrical and optical properties of ZnO nanorods. Undoped and Al-doped well aligned ZnO nanorods are grown on sputtered ZnO/SiO2/Si (100) pre-grown seed layer substrates by hydrothermal method. The molar ratio of dopant (aluminium nitrate) in the solution, [Al/Zn], is varied from 0.1 % to 3 %. To extract structural and microstructural information we employ field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The prepared ZnO nanorods show preferred orientation of ZnO <0001> and are well aligned vertically. The effects of Al doping on the electrical and optical properties are observed by Hall measurement and photoluminescence spectroscopy, respectively, at room temperature. We observe that the diameter and resistivity of the nanorods reach their lowest levels, the carrier concentration becomes high, and emission peak tends to approach the band edge emission of ZnO around 0.5% of Al doping. Sensing behavior of the grown ZnO nanorod samples is tested for H2 gas. The 0.5 mol% Al-doped sample shows highest sensitivity values of ~ 60 % at 250 ˚C and ~ 50 % at 220 ˚C.

Nanorod ZnO and spherical nano ZnO for gas sensors were prepared by hydrothermal reaction method and hydrazine method, respectively. The nano-ZnO gas sensors were fabricated by a screen printing method on alumina substrates. The gas sensing properties were investigated for hydrocarbon gas. The effects of Co concentration on the structural and morphological properties of the nano ZnO:Co were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. XRD patterns revealed that nanorod and spherical ZnO:Co with a wurtzite structure were grown with (1 0 0), (0 0 2), (1 0 1) peaks. The sensitivity of nanorod and spherical ZnO:Co sensors was measured for 5 ppm CH4 and CH3CH2CH3 gas at room temperature by comparing the resistance in air with that in target gases. The highest sensitivity to the CH4 and CH3CH2CH3 gas of spherical nano ZnO:Co sensors was observed at Co 6 wt%. The spherical nano ZnO:Co sensor exhibited a higher sensitivity to hydrocarbon gas than nanorod ZnO.

Nano-indium-coated ZnO:In thick films were prepared by a hydrothermal method. ZnO:In gas sensors were fabricated by a screen printing method on alumina substrates. The gas sensing properties of the gas sensors were investigated for hydrocarbon gas. The effects of the indium concentration of the ZnO:In gas sensors on the structural and morphological properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. XRD patterns revealed that the ZnO:In with wurtzite structure was grown with (1 0 0), (0 0 2), and (1 0 1) peaks. The quantity of In coating on the ZnO surface increased with increasing In concentration. The sensitivity of the ZnO:In sensors was measured for 5 ppm CH4 gas and CH3CH2CH3 gas at room temperature by comparing the resistance in air with that in target gases. The highest sensitivity to CH4 gas and CH3CH2CH3 gas of the ZnO:In sensors was observed at the In 6 wt%. The response and recovery times of the 6 wt% indiumcoated ZnO:In gas sensors were 19 s and 12 s, respectively.

ZnO nanorods for gas sensors were prepared by a hydrothermal method. The ZnO gas sensors were fabricated on alumina substrates by a screen printing method. The gas-sensing properties of the ZnO nanorods were investigated for CH4 gas. The effects of growth time on the structural and morphological properties of the ZnO nanorods were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The XRD patterns of the nanocrystallized ZnO nanorods showed a wurtzite structure with the (002) predominant orientation. The diameter and length of the ZnO nanorods increased in proportion to the growth time. The sensitivity of the ZnO sensors to 5 ppm CH4 gas was investigated for various growth times. The ZnO sensors exhibited good sensitivity and rapid response-recovery characteristics to CH4 gas, and both traits were dependent on the growth time. The highest sensitivity of the ZnO sensors to CH4 gas was observed with the growth time of 7 h. The response and recovery times were 13 s and 6 s, respectively.

We investigated the carbon monoxide (CO) gas-sensing properties of nanostructured Al-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited on self-assembled Au nanodots (ZnO/Au thin films). The Al-doped ZnO thin film was deposited onto the structure by rf sputtering, resulting in a gas-sensing element comprising a ZnO-based active layer with an embedded Pt/Ti electrode covered by the self-assembled Au nanodots. Prior to the growth of the active ZnO layer, the Au nanodots were formed via annealing a thin Au layer with a thickness of 2 nm at a moderate temperature of 500˚C. It was found that the ZnO/Au nanostructured thin film gas sensors showed a high maximum sensitivity to CO gas at 250˚C and a low CO detection limit of 5 ppm in dry air. Furthermore, the ZnO/Au thin film CO gas sensors exhibited fast response and recovery behaviors. The observed excellent CO gas-sensing properties of the nanostructured ZnO/Au thin films can be ascribed to the Au nanodots, acting as both a nucleation layer for the formation of the ZnO nanostructure and a catalyst in the CO surface reaction. These results suggest that the ZnO thin films deposited on self-assembled Au nanodots are promising for practical high-performance CO gas sensors.

We investigated the NO gas sensing characteristics of ZnO-carbon nanotube (ZnO-CNT) layered composites fabricated by coaxial coating of single-walled CNTs with a thin layer of 1 wt% Al-doped ZnO using rf magnetron sputtering deposition. Morphological studies clearly revealed that the ZnO appeared to form beadshaped crystalline nanoparticles with an average diameter as small as 30 nm, attaching to the surface of the nanotubes. It was found that the NO gas sensing properties of the ZnO-CNT layered composites were dramatically improved over Al-doped ZnO thin films. It is reasoned from these observations that an increase in the surface-to-volume ratio associated with the numerous ZnO “nanobeads” on the surface of the CNTs results in the enhancement of the NO gas sensing properties. The ZnO-CNT layered composite sensors exhibited a maximum sensitivity of 13.7 to 2 ppm NO gas at a temperature of 200˚C and a low NO gas detection limit of 0.2 ppm in dry air.

We investigated the effects of Co doping on the NO gas sensing characteristics of ZnO-carbon nanotube (ZnO-CNT) layered composites fabricated by coaxial coating of single-walled CNTs with ZnO using pulsed laser deposition. Structural examinations clearly confirmed a distinct nanostructure of the CNTs coated with ZnO nanoparticles of an average diameter as small as 10 nm and showed little influence of doping 1 at.% Co into ZnO on the morphology of the ZnO-CNT composites. It was found from the gas sensing measurements that 1 at.% Co doping into ZnO gave rise to a significant improvement in the response of the ZnO-CNT composite sensor to NO gas exposure. In particular, the Co-doped ZnO-CNT composite sensor shows a highly sensitive and fast response to NO gas at relatively low temperatures and even at low NO concentrations. The observed significant improvement of the NO gas sensing properties is attributed to an increase in the specific surface area and the role as a catalyst of the doped Co elements. These results suggest that Co-doped ZnOCNT composites are suitable for use as practical high-performance NO gas sensors.

ZnO wire-like thin films were synthesized through thermal oxidation of sputtered Zn metal films in dry air. Their nanostructure was confirmed by SEM, revealing a wire-like structure with a width of less than 100 nm and a length of several microns. The gas sensors using ZnO wire-like films were found to exhibit excellent H2 gas sensing properties. In particular, the observed high sensitivity and fast response to H2 gas at a comparatively low temperature of 200˚C would lead to a reduction in the optimal operating temperature of ZnO-based H2 gas sensors. These features, together with the simple synthesis process, demonstrate that ZnO wire-like films are promising for fabrication of low-cost and high-performance H2 gas sensors operable at low temperatures. The relationship between the sensor sensitivity and H2 gas concentration suggests that the adsorbed oxygen species at the surface is O-.

The NO gas sensing properties of ZnO-carbon nanotube (ZnO-CNT) composites fabricated by the coaxial coating of single-walled CNTs with ZnO were investigated using pulsed laser deposition. Upon examination, the morphology and crystallinity of the ZnO-CNT composites showed that CNTs were uniformly coated with polycrystalline ZnO with a grain size as small as 5-10 nm. Gas sensing measurements clearly indicated a remarkable enhancement of the sensitivity of ZnO-CNT composites for NO gas compared to that of ZnO films while maintaining the strong sensing stability of the composites, properties that CNT-based sensing materials do not have. The enhanced gas sensing properties of the ZnO-CNT composites are attributed to an increase in the surface adsorption area of the ZnO layer via the coating by CNTs of a high surface-to-volume ratio structure. These results suggest that the ZnO-CNT composite is a promising template for novel solid-state semiconducting gas sensors.