Spray-printed ZnO thin film for high-sensitivity NO2 gas sensing

Abstract

The controlling and precise detection of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas is important in many industrial processes such as medical, petrochemical, and agriculture. Therefore, this study investigates the gas sensing performance of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanosheets preparedusing a hydrothermal approach. The morphology and structure of the as-prepared material were analyzed using analysis techniques, including transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The ZnO ink was spray printed in a square design onto an oxidized silicon wafer substrate, which includes a lithographically designed interdigitated pattern. ZnO nanosheets exhibited superior gas sensing performance, which is 5298% for sensor response and 96 and 600s for response and recovery times, respectively, at 150°C and 100ppmof NO2 gas. The previous results emphasize applying the proposed spray printing technique in different applications because of straightforward, versatile for different substrates, and cost-effective. © The Author(s) 2025.