ETHANOL SENSING APPLICATION OF ZINC OXIDE TETRAPOD (ZNO-T) NANOMATERIALS

Abstract

ZnO is an important n type semiconductor sensing material. It has been demonstrated that ZnO nanorods and nanowires exhibit many unique properties associated with their shape anisotropy and high thermal and chemical stability. In this dissertation ZnO-T films were characterized and their role in ethanol sensing application is discussed and investigated. Films are examined electrically using the Four-probe setup and I-V conductivity measurement is carried out. Interdigitized patterns were utilized for better electrical property analysis of the structure. ZnO-T structure and optical properties were observed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Optical Microscopy. Gas sensing results shows that there is a change in resistance due to current passing through the material in a microamps range. It is also observed that the film shows change in resistance when exposed to sunlight showing the behavior that of a photodiode. Present work paves the way for the development of a novel low-cost gas sensor for practical application