Graphdiyne-Bridged Ternary Plasmonic Heterostructures for Broad-Temperature-Range and Photo-Activated Chemical Sensing

This work presents a Pt/ZnO/GDY ternary sensing system, where graphdiyne serves as a critical interfacial bridge to synergistically integrate catalytic activity, high-speed charge transport, and efficient photoenergy conversion. This rational design effectively overcomes the long-standing trade-off between high operating temperature and low energy efficiency in conventional metal-oxide sensors. Upon photoactivation, the sensor achieves an exceptional response (80/857), fast response/recovery speed (6/30 s and 4/15 s), and ultralow theoretical detection limits (0.52 and 0.02 ppm) toward triethylamine, demonstrating drastically enhanced performance at both room temperature and an elevated temperature (150 °C). This dual-temperature-optima capability, therefore, represents a breakthrough in achieving both high sensitivity and low-power operation, thereby establishing a paradigm for designing smart gas sensors whose performance can be actively enhanced and tuned by light, offering a viable strategy toward energy-efficient and highly adaptable sensing technologies.