Hierarchical NiCo2O4 microspheres assembled by nanorods with p-type response for detection of triethylamine

The morphological and structural design provides an efficient protocol to optimize the performance of gas sensing materials. In this work, a gas sensor with high sensitivity for triethylamine (TEA) detection is developed based on p-type NiCo2O4 hierarchical microspheres. The NiCo2O4 microspheres, synthesized by a hydrothermal route, have a three-dimensional (3D) urchin-like structure assembled by nanorod building blocks. The structure-property correlation has been investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, N2 adsorption-desorption tests and comprehensive gas sensing experiments. The influence of calcination temperature on the morphological structure and sensing performances has been investigated. Results reveal that the material annealed at 300 °C has a very large specific surface area of 125.27 m2/g, thereby demonstrating the best TEA sensing properties including high response and low limit of detection (145 ppb), good selectivity and stability. The further increase of the calcination temperature leads to the collapse of the 3D hierarchical structure with significantly decreased surface area, which is found to decline the sensing performances. This work indicates the promise of ternary p-type metal oxide nanostructures for application in highly sensitive gas sensors.