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Ultrasensitive NO X Detection in Simulated Exhaled Air: Enhanced Sensing via Alumina Modification of In‐Situ Grown WO 3 Nanoblocks
Author(s) -
Alam Suhaib,
Ansari Mohammad Shaad,
Banik Avishek,
Ali Rafat,
Verma Sandeep,
Qureshi Mohammad
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemistry – an asian journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.18
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1861-471X
pISSN - 1861-4728
DOI - 10.1002/asia.201900699
Subject(s) - materials science , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , ohmic contact , porosity , chemiresistor , substrate (aquarium) , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , optoelectronics , analytical chemistry (journal) , composite material , chemistry , oceanography , layer (electronics) , chromatography , geology , engineering
Seedless growth of vertically aligned nanostructures, which can induce smoother transport and minimize Ohmic contact between substrate and semiconductor, can be fabricated by in situ growth utilizing modified hydrothermal methods. Such devices can be useful in designing non‐invasive ultrasensitive hand‐held sensors for diagnostic identification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled air, offering pain‐free and easier detection of long‐term diseases such as asthma. In the present work, WO 3 nanoblocks, with a high surface area and porosity, have been grown directly over transparent conducting oxide to minimize Ohmic resistance, facilitating smoother electron transfer and enhanced current response. Further modification with porous alumina (γ‐Al 2 O 3 ), by electrodeposition, resulted in the selective and ultrasensitive detection of NO X in simulated exhaled air. Crystal phase purity of as‐fabricated pristine as well modified samples is validated with X‐ray diffraction analysis. Morphological and microstructural analyses reveal the successful deposition of porous alumina over the surface of WO 3 . Improved surface area and porosity is presented by porous alumina in the modified WO 3 device, suggesting more active sites for the gas molecules to get adsorbed and diffuse through the pores. Oxygen vacancies, which are detrimental in the transport phenomenon in the presented sensors, have been studied using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis. Gas sensing studies have been performed by fabricating chemiresistor devices based on bare WO 3 and Al 2 O 3 ‐modified WO 3 . The higher sensitivity for NO X gas in case of γ‐Al 2 O 3 ‐modified WO 3 based devices, as compared to bare WO 3 ‐based devices, is attributed to the better surface area and charge transport kinetics. The presented device strategy offers crucial understanding in the design and development of non‐invasive, hand‐held devices for NO gas present in the human breath, with potential application in medical diagnostics.