Enhanced H 2 S Gas Detection Using Low-Cost Carbon Loaded CuCrO 2 Nanomaterials

Abstract

Effective monitoring of H 2 S gas is crucial, as inhaling H 2 S poses a significant concern for human health, potentially leading to grave harm or even death. Chemiresistive semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) plays a crucial role in detecting a low concentration of H 2 S, providing early cautioning and ensuring immediate action. To develop affordable Chemiresistive gas sensors guaranteeing no trade-offs in sensitivity and selectivity, ongoing research continues to explore different SMOs, enhancing their performance. This study focuses on leveraging affordable carbon-based nanomaterials in CuCrO 2 to improve H 2 S detection, highlighting the efficacy of candle soot (CS) as an effective carbon source for H 2 S gas. The CS (1.5 wt%) loaded CuCrO 2 provides a large surface area, which results in a relative response of 66.4% and 31% toward 50 ppm and 100 ppb of H 2 S gas, respectively, at 100 °C. The 1.5_CS@ CuCrO 2 gas sensor performs exceptionally well in a highly humid (RH 80%) atmosphere with a detection of 65.9% for 50 ppm of H 2 S gas, despite the hydrophilic nature of candle soot. The first principle Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, indicate that the hybrid carbon system can detect H 2 S gas due to its high adsorption energy, charge transfer, and orbital interactions compared to the CuCrO 2 system.