High-performance metal-oxide gas sensors based on hierarchical core–shell ZnFe2O4 microspheres for detecting 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide

Abstract

Mustard gas, an erosive chemical agent, is primarily used as a chemical weapon, which seriously threatens human life and health. Therefore, detecting mustard gas and its simulant, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES), is a very important task. As a binary metal oxide with a spinel structure, ZnFe₂O₄ is widely used for fabricating gas sensors because of its stable chemical structure and abundant oxygen vacancies. In this study, gas-sensing ZnFe₂O₄ microspheres with a hierarchical core–shell nanosheet structure were prepared via a simple one-step solvothermal method. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and N₂ adsorption analyses were performed to characterize the morphology, structure, and chemical composition of these microspheres. A gas sensor was fabricated from the as-synthesized material, and its gas sensing performance was evaluated, using 2-CEES as a target gas. The obtained ZnFe₂O₄-based sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 9.07 to 1 ppm 2-CEES at the optimal working temperature of 250 °C. The sensor response and recovery times were 18 and 546 s, respectively, and its detection sensitivity of 2.87 achieved at a 2-CEES concentration of 0.01 ppm was within an acceptable range. Additionally, the sensor demonstrated sufficiently high 2-CEES selectivity, repeatability, and long-term stability.