open access publication

Article, 2023

Zinc oxide tetrapod sponges for environmental pollutant monitoring and degradation

Journal of Materials Research and Technology, ISSN 2214-0697, 2238-7854, Volume 22, Pages 811-824, 10.1016/j.jmrt.2022.11.142

Contributors

Lee, Kyungtaek 0000-0003-3408-4102 [1] Sahu, Manisha 0000-0003-0175-7606 [1] Hajra, Sugato 0000-0002-2049-4509 [1] Abolhassani, Reza 0000-0002-8933-6082 [2] Mistewicz, Krystian 0000-0002-6065-4175 [3] Toroń, Bartłomiej 0000-0003-3656-4660 [3] Rubahn, Horst-Günter [2] Mishra, Yogendra Kumar (Corresponding author) [2] Kim, Hoe Joon 0000-0003-1180-7830 (Corresponding author) [1]

Affiliations

  1. [1] Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology
    2. [NORA names: South Korea; Asia, East; OECD];
  2. [2] University of Southern Denmark
    3. [NORA names: SDU University of Southern Denmark; University; Denmark; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD];
  3. [3] Silesian University of Technology
    4. [NORA names: Poland; Europe, EU; OECD]

Abstract

Environmental monitoring systems enable the collection of information about the various environmental parameters, pollution levels, and the presence of environmental hazards affecting human and marine life. Highly sensitive, stable, and low-power-consuming sensors are vital for such operations. Nanomaterials with different surface morphologies can play a vital role in multiple applications, such as gas sensors, photocatalysts, erosion monitoring, or fine dust sensor. Zinc oxide (ZnO) tetrapod, in particular, shows 3D morphologies that exhibit exciting properties, making them applicable in several device engineering. This work provides a simple yet high-throughput single-step synthesis of ZnO tetrapod with different arm sizes using the flame transport method at various growth conditions. The physicochemical and structural properties have been deeply investigated to shed light on the formation of these 3D structures. The detailed mechanism of the ZnO tetrapod as a gas monitoring material and a photocatalyst has been presented in detail. The sponge-based ZnO gas sensor can selectively sense NO2 gas with a limit of detection (LOD) value of 8.56 ppb. In addition, ZnO tetrapods samples exhibit high photocatalytic activity toward methylene blue and methyl orange degradation under UV illumination. The reaction rate constants of 3.6 (2)·10−4 s−1 and 1.7 (1)·10−4 s−1 are determined for the photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue and methyl orange, respectively. The results suggest that ZnO tetrapod-based sponges can be a promising material for building next-generation pollution monitoring and degradation systems.

Keywords

NO2, NO2 gas, UV illumination, ZnO, ZnO gas sensor, ZnO tetrapods, activity, applications, arm, arm size, collection, collection of information, conditions, constant, decomposition of methylene, degradation, degradation system, detection, device engineering, devices, dust, dust sensor, engineering, environmental hazards, environmental monitoring system, environmental parameters, environmental pollution monitoring, erosion, erosion monitoring, flame, flame transport method, formation, gas, gas sensors, growth, growth conditions, hazard, illumination, information, levels, life, limit of detection, limitations, low power consuming, low power consuming sensors, marine life, materials, mechanism, method, methyl orange, methyl orange degradation, methylation, methylene, monitoring, monitoring materials, monitoring system, morphology, multiple applications, nanomaterials, operation, orange, oxidation, parameters, photocatalyst, photocatalytic activity, photocatalytic decomposition, photocatalytic decomposition of methylene, pollution, pollution levels, pollution monitoring, presence, presence of environmental hazards, properties, rate constants, reaction, reaction rate constant, results, samples, sensor, size, sponge, structural properties, structure, surface, surface morphology, system, tetrapods, transport method, zinc, zinc oxide

Funders

  • National Research Foundation of Korea
  • Ministry of Science and ICT
  • European Commission

Data Provider: Digital Science

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