Highly sensitive triethylamine gas sensors enabled by hamburger-like GO/ZnO heterostructures

Abstract

The detection of toxic triethylamine (TEA) is crucial for environmental monitoring and human health protection. However, developing TEA sensors with both high sensitivity and selectivity remains challenging. In this work, we report a high-performance gas sensor constructed from hamburger-like ZnO microspheres modified with graphene oxide (GO), forming well-defined GO/ZnO heterojunctions. The optimized 10% GO/ZnO composite exhibits an outstanding response of 1230 to 100 ppm TEA at 260 °C, approximately 820 times higher than that of pristine ZnO. The remarkable enhancement arises from the synergistic effect of the hierarchical hamburger-like structure, the excellent electrical conductivity of GO, and the formation of a p–n heterojunction, which collectively amplify the gas-sensing signal. Moreover, the sensor achieves a low detection limit of 500 ppb and excellent selectivity against various interfering gases. This work not only demonstrates a superior TEA sensor but also provides a rational strategy for heterostructure design in advanced gas-sensing applications.