MOF-derived ZnO nanocage decorated with Nd2O3 nanorods for high-performance triethylamine sensing

MOF-derived metal oxides are promising porous materials for gas detection. And neodymium oxide could be favorable for the sensing process due to the active chemistry of lanthanide Nd. Here, a triethylamine sensor based on Nd2O3-ZnO composites was constructed. The gas-sensing properties and mechanism were studied in detail. The XPS and O2-TPD characterization confirmed the increase of chemisorbed oxygen on the composite surface. And the density functional theory calculation results showed that oxygen molecule has stronger chemical adsorption, enhanced charge transfer and longer bond length on the surface of Nd2O3 than that on ZnO. The adsorption and activation for oxygen, the structural advantage and the electronic modulation effect of heterojunction lead to the high performance of the composite for triethylamine detection. The response of the composite to 100 ppm TEA was 15.7 times higher than that of ZnO. Meanwhile, the sensor showed a lower operating temperature and detection limit (150 ppb). This study provides a reference for the construction of high-performance TEA sensors and the application of Nd2O3 in the sensing field.