SYNTHESIS OF ZnO NANORODS BY HYDROTHERMAL METHOD FOR GAS SENSOR APPLICATIONS

ZnO nanorods with different sizes and shapes have been successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal route, using zinc acetate and Cetyltriammonium bromide (CTAB) as the reactants. The thick films of as prepared ZnO were prepared by screen-printing technique in desired pattern. The films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The gas sensing properties of the materials have been investigated for various interfering gases such as CO2, CO, Ethanol, NH3 and H2S etc at operating temperature from 30 (room temperature) to 300C. The results indicate that the ZnO nanorod thick films showed much better sensitivity and stability than the conventional materials to H2S gas at 30C. The nanoshaped pillar can improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensors. ZnO nanorods are excellent potential candidates for gas sensors.