ZnO/graphene heterostructure for electrical interaction and application for CO₂ gas sensing

Recently, the concentration of CO₂, one of the major air pollutants for greenhouse effect, is increasing due to the massive use of fossil fuels. Thus, research about gas sensors for monitoring CO₂ gas has performed, and conventional methods have the challenge of requiring complex structures. Thus, research about gas sensors using nanomaterials has been conducted, and graphene-based gas sensors have been actively researched for its extraordinary conductivity. However, there are challenges that the gas absorption site is limited in chemically unstable sites. In this study, ZnO/graphene heterostructure to improve the gas absorption area with high conductivity through ZnO on graphene was presented. Each layer acted as a gas adsorption and a carrier conducting layer respectively, and the sensitivity by the thickness of ZnO and the effect of the annealing temperature were evaluated. This work exhibited a sensitivity of 78% at room temperature, and repeatability and selectivity were also studied.