Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, Vol 26 No 6 (2022): 1168 – 1178

 

ENHANCING THE HYDROGEN GAS SENSING PROPERTIES OF ZINC OXIDE DOPED WITH ALUMINUM PREPARED VIA

THERMAL OXIDATION

 

(Meningkatkan Sifat Penderiaan Gas Hidrogen bagi Zink Oksida Terdop Aluminium yang Disediakan dengan Kaedah Pengoksidaan Terma)

 

Naif H. Al-Hardan1*, Muhammad Azmi Abdul Hamid1, Azlan Abdul Aziz2, Naser M. Ahmed2

 

1Department of Applied Physics,

Faculty of Science and Technology,

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

2School of Physics,

Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Penang, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: naifalhardan@ukm.edu.my

 

 

Received: 31 January 2022; Accepted: 19 May 2022; Published:  27 December 2022

 

 

Abstract

This work describes the gas sensing performance of undoped zinc oxide (ZnO) and ZnO doped with 2 atomic% aluminum (ZnO: Al 2% at.) prepared via the thermal oxidation of zinc (Zn) and Al metal. The prepared films exhibited a polycrystalline structure of the hexagonal ZnO structure. The element composition shows the presence of Zn, O and Al, with Al percentage of approximately 2.2% at. The current-voltage characteristic was used to study the effect of the low hydrogen (H2) concentrations on the sensing properties of ZnO and ZnO: Al. The maximum response of the undoped ZnO was approximately 100 at an operating temperature of 400 ℃ and increased to approximately 2000 at an operating temperature of 300 ℃ after doping with 2% at. Al. The current study reveals the promising potential for the Al-doped ZnO for low H2 gas concentrations, as there was an enhancement in the response and reduction in the operating temperature of the doped ZnO with Al.

 

Keywords: hydrogen gas sensors, doping process, ZnO:Al

 

Abstrak

Kerja ini menerangkan prestasi penderiaan gas untuk zink oksida (ZnO) tanpa dop dan ZnO terdop 2 atom% aluminum (ZnO: Al 2% at.) yang disediakan melalui pengoksidaan terma logam zink (Zn) dan Al. Filem yang disediakan mempunyai struktur polikristal iaitu struktur heksagonal ZnO. Komposisi unsur menunjukkan kehadiran Zn, O dan Al, dengan peratusan Al pada anggaran 2.2% at. Ciri Arus-Voltan telah digunakan untuk mengkaji kesan kepekatan hidrogen (H2)  rendah terhadap sifat penderiaan ZnO dan ZnO:Al. Gerakbalas maksimum ZnO tanpa dop dalam anggaran 100 pada suhu operasi 400℃ dan meningkat kepada 2000 pada suhu operasi 300℃ setelah didop dengan Al. Kajian semasa menunjukkan ZnO terdop Al mempunyai potensi baik pada kepekatan  gas H2 yang rendah, di mana pengayaan dalam respons dan pengurangan dalam operasi suhu terhadap ZnO didop Bersama Al.

 

Kata kunci: hidrogen penderia gas, proses doping, ZnO:Al

 

Graphical Abstract

 

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