Core-shell structure of ZnO/Co3O4 composites derived from bimetallic-organic frameworks with superior sensing performance for ethanol gas

In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), especially zeolite-imidazole frameworks (ZIFs), have been attracting widespread attention as templates for the synthesis of sensing materials. Limited researches, however, have been carried out to utilize bimetallic ZIFs in gas sensing, as the existing studies mostly involve monometallic ZIFs. Here in, the core-shell structure of ZnO and Co3O4 composite (CS-ZnO/Co3O4) was synthesized via chemical etched to Co/Zn based zeolitic imidazolate framework (Co/Zn-ZIF) with subsequent annealing. The morphology, composition and surface characteristics of the as-obtained samples were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Moreover, the gas sensing measurements were implemented under various atmospheres. The response of CS-ZnO/Co3O4 sensor to 100 ppm ethanol at 200 °C achieves 38.87, which is 2.8 times that of single-shell ZnO/Co3O4 (SS-ZnO/Co3O4). The improved response is mainly attributed to the core-shell structure, which offers larger surface area, more active sites for gas diffusion and the formation of p-n heterojunction between ZnO and Co3O4.