Solution-processed CuO/TiO2 heterojunction for enhanced room temperature ethanol sensing applications

摘要

Low-temperature solution techniques were employed to synthesize a hetero-junction sensor based on TiO2 nanorod arrays functionalized with CuO nanoparticles and its room temperature (29 degrees C) ethanol sensing characteristics were investigated. The structural, optical, morphological and electrical properties of the samples were analyzed using various characterization techniques. Both TiO2 nanorod array as well as CuO/TiO2 heterojunction exhibit room temperature ethanol sensing performance and the heterojunction sensor shows excellent response characteristics compared to pristine TiO2. The enhanced response can be attributed to the increased specific surface area and the formation of the p-n heterojunction. The room temperature sensing properties makes the heterojunction sensor a promising candidate for environmental monitoring.