Improvement of NO₂ Sensing Properties in Pd Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxides by Electron-Beam Irradiation

Herein, we present the effect of electron-beam irradiation (EBI) on the gas-sensing properties of Pd-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (RGO). Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the synthesized products. The samples were irradiated using electron beams at doses of 0 (Pd-RGO-0), 100 (Pd-RGO-100), and 500 kGy (Pd-RGO-500), and the NO2 gas-sensing properties were investigated. It was found that irradiation by electron beams has a critical effect on the gas-sensing properties of the samples, and the Pd-RGO-500 sensor showed the highest response to NO₂ gas. In particular, the response of the unirradiated sensor and the sensor irradiated at doses of 100 and 500 kGy to 10 ppm NO₂ were 1.027, 1.045, and 1.047, respectively. The response times of Pd-RGO-0, Pd-RGO-100, and Pd-RGO-500 to 10 ppm NO₂ gas were 389, 335, and 345 s, respectively. The corresponding recovery times for these sensors were 808, 766, and 816 s, respectively. The increased numbers of oxygen functional groups and high-energy defects were the main reasons for the increased gas response. This study will eventually lead to increased performance levels of RGO-based sensors that use EBI, as this technology can introduce changes into materials in a non-contact, clean, and powerful manner.