ZIF-8-derived ZnO doped with In for high-performance ethanol gas sensor

Ethanol is a versatile but volatile chemical that may threaten both industrial safety and human health. To address the need for improved detection and monitoring of ethanol leakage and concentration, we successfully synthesized indium-doped ZnO (In-ZnO) with a hollow nanocage structure through the hydrothermal method and calcination, effectively expanding the specific surface area from 9.54 to 18.45 m 2 g −1 , increasing the proportion of absorbed oxygen from 5.6% to 9.4% and that of oxygen vacancies from 32.7% to 38.5%, and promoting the interaction between ethanol molecules and active sites. Our optimized doping of 1% In-ZnO exhibited a substantial increase in its responsiveness when exposed to 100 ppm ethanol at 328 °C ( R = 313.8). This outcome stands as a pivotal reference point for the development of sensor materials characterized by superior performance.