Facile Fabrication of Room Temperature Based H2S Gas Sensor Using ZTO-Ag@PPy Hybrid Nanocomposite

In this study, Zinc stannate-silver (ZTO-Ag) nanoparticles are produced using the customary hydrothermal technique, followed by in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization, resulted in varied weight percentages (0, 5, 10, and 15 wt%) of ZTO-Ag@PPy nano-composites. The prepared composites are characterized for powder XRD, FTIR, FESEM and BET analysis. The I–V response of interdigitated electrode (IDE) composite films are studied at room temperature and the band gap for composites was determined using UV–visible. The 10% ZTO-Ag@PPy composite showed the highest dc electrical conductivity and the largest surface area among all the composites. Furthermore, the composites are exposed to H 2 S, NH 3 , CO, CO 2 , NO 2 , and Cl 2 gases. The 10% ZTO-Ag@PPy composite demonstrated the highest selective response for H 2 S gas because there is a significant interaction between the nanoparticles and the polymer chain which results in an effective incorporation of ZTO-Ag nanoparticles in the macromolecular chain. For 15% ZTO-Ag@PPy the agglomeration effect offers more resistance in the path of ions hence composite showed less sensitivity. After being exposed to H 2 S gas, the gas sensing characteristics are properly examined. A composite sensor has a higher sensing range (2–120 ppm), a quicker response, and recovery time, good long-term stability and repeatability towards the H 2 S gas. At room temperature, protonation/deprotonation at the PPy surface, efficient charge carrier interaction at the p-n heterojunction, and a large surface area available for gas adsorption together played a vital role in enhancing the gas sensing capabilities of the wt % ZTO-Ag@PPy composite sensors.