• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1991.11a
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• pp.245-248
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• 1991

Recently, oxide semiconductor gas sensors consisted of n-type semiconductor materials such as $SnO_2$, ZnO and $Fe_2O_3$ have been widely used to detect reducing gases. In this paper, we made the thick-film ZnO gas sensors with $PdCl_2$ as a catalyst and investigated the sensitivity to CO gas. In the thick-film Zno sensor, the highest sensitivity was shown in the sensor with 1wt.% of $PdCl_2$ which was sintered for 1 hour at $700^{\circ}C$ and operated at $300^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.169-174
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• 2010

A micro gas sensor for formaldehyde (HCHO) gas was fabricated by using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology and the sol-gel process. The sensing materials of the $SnO_2$-ZnO system were synthesized by the sol-gel method. The crystal structure and thermal analysis of the $SnO_{2}$-ZnO were characterized by XRD and DSC-TGA. The fabricated gas sensors were tested at various gas concentrations (0.5~5.0 ppm) and different operation temperatures ($350{\sim}550^{\circ}C$). The $SnO_2$-10 mol%ZnO sensor showed the highest sensitivity ($R_s=0.24$) for 1.0 ppm-formaldehyde at $500^{\circ}C$ and response time (90% saturation time) was within 20 seconds.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.191-195
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• 2021

Pure ZnFe₂O₄ and Fe₂O₃-ZnFe₂O₄ hetero-composite spheres were prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis of a solution containing Zn- and Fe-nitrates. Additionally, the sensing characteristics of these spheres in the presence of 5 ppm ethanol, benzene, p-xylene, toluene, and CO (within the temperature range of 275-350 ℃) were investigated. The Fe₂O₃-ZnFe₂O₄ hetero-composite sensor with a cation ratio of [Zn]:[Fe]=1:3 exhibited a high response (resistance ratio = 140.2) and selectivity (response to p-xylene/response to ethanol = 3.4) to 5 ppm p-xylene at 300 ℃, whereas the pure ZnFe₂O₄ sensor showed a comparatively lower gas response and selectivity. The reasons for the superior response and selectivity to p-xylene in Fe₂O₃-ZnFe₂O₄ hetero-composite sensor were discussed in relation to the electronic sensitization due to charge transfer at Fe₂O₃-ZnFe₂O₄ interface and Fe₂O₃-induced catalytic promotion of gas sensing reaction. The sensor can be used to monitor harmful volatile organic compounds and indoor air pollutants.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.183-187
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• 2008

A sub-ppm level MEMS gas sensor that can be used for the detection of formaldehyde (HCHO) is presented. It is realized by using a zinc oxide (ZnO) thin-film material with a Ni-seed layer as a sensing material and by bulk micromachining technology. To enhance sensitivity of the MEMS gas sensor with Ni-seed layer was embedded with ZnO sensing material and sensing electrodes. As experimental results, the changed sensor resistance ratio for HCHO gas was 9.65 % for 10 ppb, 18.06 % for 100 ppb, and 35.7 % for 1 ppm, respectively. In addition, the minimum detection level of the fabricated MEMS gas sensor was 10 ppb for the HCHO gas. And the measured output voltage was about 0.94 V for 10 ppb HCHO gas concentration. The noise level of the fabricated MEMS gas sensor was about 50 mV. The response and recovery times were 3 and 5 min, respectively. The consumption power of the Pt micro-heater under sensor testing was 184 mW and its operating temperature was $400^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.225-229
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• 2017

ZnO nanotubes were synthesized to investigate the effect of wall thickness on the ethanol gas sensing performance. The wall thickness of the nanotubes was varied from approximately 20 to 60 nm. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and SAED (Selected Area Electron Beam Diffraction) analyses showed that the synthesized nanotubes were polycrystalline structured ZnO with the diameter of approximately 200-300nm. The ZnO nanotubes sensor with an optimum wall thickness of 51.8nm showed approximately 8 times higher response, compared to that with 21.14nm wall thick nanotubes, to the ethanol concentration of 500 ppm at the temperature of $300^{\circ}C$. The wall thickness of 51.8nm was found to be a little larger than 46nm, which was theoretically derived Debye length. Along with the study of the wall thickness effect on the performance of the sensors, the mechanisms of gas sensing of the polycrystalline ZnO nanotubes are also discussed.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.367-372
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• 2008

ZnO nanorod gas sensors were prepared by an ultrasound radiation method and their gas sensing properties were investigated for NO gas. For this procedure, 0.01, 0.005 and 0.001M of zinc nitrate hydrate [$Zn(NO_3)_2\;{\cdot}\;6H_2O$] and hexamethyleneteramine [$C_6H_{12}N_4$] aqueous solutions were prepared and then the solution was irradiated with high intensity ultrasound for 1 h. The lengths of ZnO nanorods ranged from 200 nm to 500 nm with diameters ranging from 40 nm to 80 nm. The size of the ZnO nanorods could be controlled by the concentration of solution. The sensing characteristics of these nanostructures were investigated for three kinds of sensor. The properties of the sensors were influenced by the morphology of the nanorods.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.75.1-75.1
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• 2007

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.76-81
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• 2018

Au@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by a simple method followed by heat-treatment for gas sensor applications. The advantage of the core-shell morphology was investigated by comparing the gas sensing performances of Au@ZnO core-shell NPs with pure ZnO NPs and different wt% of Au-loaded ZnO NPs. The crystal structures, shapes, sizes, and morphologies of all sensing materials were characterized by XRD, TEM, and HAADF-STEM. Au@ZnO core-shell NPs were nearly spherical in shape and Au NPs were encapsulated in the center with a 40-45 nm ZnO shell outside. The gas sensing operating temperature for Au@ZnO core-shell NPs was $300^{\circ}C$, whereas it was $350^{\circ}C$ for pure ZnO NPs and Au-loaded ZnO NPs. The maximum response of Au@ZnO core-shell NPs to 1000 ppm CO at $300^{\circ}C$ was 77.3, which was three-fold higher than that of 2 wt% Au-loaded ZnO NPs. Electronic and chemical effects were the primary reasons for the improved sensitivity of Au@ZnO core-shell NPs. It was confirmed that Au@ZnO core-shell NPs had better sensitivity and stability than Au-loaded ZnO NPs.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.337-342
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• 2022

Hydrogen (H₂) gas is widely preferred for use as a renewable energy source owing to its characteristics such as environmental friendliness and a high energy density. However, H₂ can easily reverse or explode due to minor external factors. Therefore, H₂ gas monitoring is crucial, especially when the H₂ concentration is close to the lower explosive limit. In this study, metal oxide materials and their p-n heterojunctions were synthesized by a hydrothermal-assisted dip-coating method. The synthesized thin films were used as sensing materials for H₂ gas. When the H₂ concentration was varied, all metal oxide materials exhibited different gas sensitivities. The performance of the metal oxide gas sensor was analyzed to identify parameters that could improve the performance, such as the choice of the metal oxide material, effect of the p-n heterojunctions, and operating temperature conditions of the gas sensor. The experimental results demonstrated that a CuO/ZnO gas sensor with a p-n heterojunction exhibited a high sensitivity and fast response time (134.9% and 8 s, respectively) to 5% H₂ gas at an operating temperature of 300℃.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.636-641
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• 2009

ZnO nanofibers were electro-spun from a solution containing poly 4-vinyl phenol and Zn acetate dihydrate. The calcination process of the ZnO/PVP composite nanofibers brought forth a random network of polycrystalline wurtzite ZnO nanofibers of 30 nm to 70 nm in diameter. The electrical properties of the ZnO nanofibers were governed by the grain boundaries. To investigate possible applications of the ZnO nanofibers, their CO and $NO_2$ gas sensing responses are demonstrated. In particular, the $SnO_2$-deposited ZnO nanofibers exhibit a remarkable gas sensing response to $NO_2$ gas as low as 400 ppb. Oxide nanofibers emerge as a new proposition for oxide-based gas sensors.