Hydrogen sulfide gas sensing properties of metal organic framework-derived α-Fe2O3 hollow nanospheres decorated with MoSe2 nanoflowers

•The MOF-derived α-Fe2O3/MoSe2 sensor was fabricated by hydrothermal and screen-printing technology.•The α-Fe2O3/MoSe2 composite sensor exhibited excellent sensing properties toward H2S sensing.•The improved H2S sensing properties was due to the heterojunctions formed between α-Fe2O3 and MoSe2. The metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived alpha-iron oxide hollow nanosphere/molybdenum diselenide nanoflower (α-Fe2O3/MoSe2) composite is fabricated via simple hydrothermal route. Multiple characterization methods have proved the successful synthesis of α-Fe2O3/MoSe2 composites. The nanocomposite with a mass ratio of α-Fe2O3 and MoSe2 of 4:1 shows high response to H2S gas sensing. Moreover, the gas sensitivity test of the system shows that the α-Fe2O3/MoSe2 composite sensor exhibits a faster response/recovery rate, outstanding repeatability and anti-humidity interference toward H2S sensing at room temperature, which also shows excellent selectivity for H2S compared to various potentially interfering gases. Further studies have shown that α-Fe2O3/MoSe2 nanocomposites have improved H2S gas sensing performance due to the increased active sites and specific surface area, and the formation of n-n heterojunctions at the interface between α-Fe2O3 hollow nanospheres and MoSe2 nanoflowers.