Structural, optical and LPG sensing properties of zinc-doped nickel oxide pellets operated at room temperature

[Display omitted] •LPG sensing properties of pure and Zn-doped NiO nanoparticles are reported.•2 mol% Zn-doped NiO gives maximum sensor response for 2 vol % of LPG.•It is having a response and recovery time of 42 s and 31 s respectively.•The p-type NiO sensor shows the promise for high-performance LPG sensing. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) sensing properties of pure and zinc-doped nickel oxide nanoparticles (Ni1-xZnxO; where x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03) in the form of pellets along with synthesis and characterization have been reported in this paper. Several characterization studies such as Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Elemental dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Ultraviolet–visible absorption analysis (UV–vis), particle analyzer and four-probe setup were used to study morphological, elemental, structural, optical and electrical properties of the synthesized NiO powder. XRD results reveal that the nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles having an average crystallite size in a range of 30−43 nm are formed. FESEM images show that the prepared material is porous and has spherical-shaped morphology. The characterization results indicate that the synthesized zinc-doped nickel oxide is a promising material for the LPG sensor. The pellets of pure and zinc-doped nickel oxide nanoparticles were bring under the exposure of LPG and variation in resistance was recorded with respect to time at various concentrations of gas (0.5–2.0 vol%). NiO doped with 2 mol% Zn has the maximum sensor response of 5.33 % for 2 vol% of LPG along with recovery and response time of 31 s and 42 s respectively. The optimized properties of NiO nanoparticles in terms of structure and morphology for LPG sensing application by modifying preparatory conditions, is the novel approach in this work.