UV-enhanced room-temperature gas sensing of ZnGa2O4 nanowires functionalized with Au catalyst nanoparticles

ZnGa2O4 nanowires were synthesized using a thermal evaporation technique. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction revealed that the nanowires were single crystals 30–200 nm in diameter and ranged up to ∼100 μm in length. The sensing properties of multiple networked ZnGa2O4 nanowire sensors functionalized with Au catalyst nanoparticles with diameters of a few nanometers toward NO2 gas at room temperature under UV irradiation were examined. The sensors showed a remarkably enhanced response and far reduced response and recovery times toward NO2 gas at room temperature under 254 nm-ultraviolet (UV) illumination. The response of ZnGa2O4 nanowires to NO2 gas at room temperature increased from ∼100 to ∼861 % with increasing the UV intensity from 0 to 1.2 mW/cm2. The significant improvement in the response of ZnGa2O4 nanowires to NO2 gas by UV irradiation is attributed to the increased change in resistance due to the increase in the number of electrons participating in the reactions with NO2 molecules by photo-generation of electron–hole pairs.