Response Improvement of acetone sensors using CuO/ZnO hierarchical structure under UV radiation

The improvement in the response property of acetone sensors has been investigated using sensing layers of CuO/ZnO hierarchical nanostructure under UV irradiation. ZnO hierarchical structure was fabricated by hydrothermal sprouting of ZnO nanorods around ZnO nanofibers, which is fabricated by electrospinning method followed by thermal oxidation. CuO particles were decorated on the ZnO surface by optical deposition method. The acetone sensing properties of pure ZnO and CuO/ZnO sensors have been studied. The results showed that CuO/ZnO sensors had a higher response to acetone vapor than pure ZnO sensors at most of the operating temperatures. The highest response of 3929% towards 1,863% acetone vapor at operating temperature of 240°C was observed by CuO(2)/ZnO structure under UV irradiation. The mechanism of acetone sensing of CuO/ZnO materials are also discussed in detail. The morphology and structural properties of the materials were investigated based on SEM, TEM, EDS and XRD.