Facile synthesis of size-controlled Fe2O3 nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanotubes for highly sensitive H2S detection

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is one of the most plentiful toxic gases in a real-life and causes a collapse of the nervous system and a disturbance of the cellular respiration. Therefore, highly sensitive and selective H2S gas sensor systems are becoming increasingly important in environmental monitoring and safety. In this report, we suggest the facile synthesis method of the Fe2O3 particles uniformly decorated on carbon nanotubes (Fe2O3@CNT) to detect H2S gas using oxidative co-polymerization (pyrrole and 3-carboxylated pyrrole) and heat treatment. The as prepared Fe2O3@CNT-based sensor electrode is highly sensitive (as low as 1 ppm), selective and stable to H2S gas at 25 degrees C, which shows promise for operating in medical diagnosis and environment monitoring. Excellent performance of the Fe2O3@CNT is due to the unique morphology of the nanocomposites made from uniformly dispersed Fe2O3 nanoparticles on the carbon surface without aggregation.