Abstract
Nanorod ZnO and spherical nano ZnO for gas sensors were prepared by hydrothermal reaction method and hydrazine method, respectively. The nano-ZnO gas sensors were fabricated by a screen printing method on alumina substrates. The gas sensing properties were investigated for hydrocarbon gas. The effects of Co concentration on the structural and morphological properties of the nano ZnO:Co were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. XRD patterns revealed that nanorod and spherical ZnO:Co with a wurtzite structure were grown with (100), (002), (101) peaks. The sensitivity of nanorod and spherical ZnO:Co sensors was measured for 5 ppm $CH_4$ and $CH_3CH_2CH_3$ gas at room temperature by comparing the resistance in air with that in target gases. The highest sensitivity to the $CH_4$ and $CH_3CH_2CH_3$ gas of spherical nano ZnO:Co sensors was observed at Co 6 wt%. The spherical nano ZnO:Co sensor exhibited a higher sensitivity to hydrocarbon gas than nanorod ZnO.
