Influence of the Camphor Sulphonic Acid (CSA) Intercalation on the Micro‐structural and Gas Sensing Properties of Polyaniline‐CeO2 Nanohybrid for NH3 Gas Detection

Developing a high performance sensing materials operating at room temperature (30 °C) is eminently a challenging task. The facile chemical oxidative polymerization route was employed for the synthesis of PAni‐CeO2 nanohybrids with CSA intercalation (10–50 wt %) on the chains of protonated PAni. The cubic crystal structure of PAni‐CeO2‐CSA nanohybrids were revealed by X‐ray diffractometry (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed for the structural and morphological investigations. X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of PAni‐CeO2‐CSA nanohybrid. The consequences of CSA intercalation on the gas sensing performance of PAni‐CeO2 nanohybrids are explored through custom designed sensing system. The gas sensing investigations revealed that PAni‐CeO2‐CSA (50 wt %) nanohybrid exhibited highest response (93 %) towards 100 ppm NH3 at 30 °C. Advantageously, CSA intercalated PAni‐CeO2 nanohybrid gas sensor delivered fast response and quick recovery (8 sec and 482 sec) with admirable stability (84.09 %) towards NH3 at 30 °C. NH3 is highly toxic and explosive pollutant that posturing continuous risks to human health and environment. For the achievement of excellent gas sensing performance, CSA (10–50 wt %) intercalated PAni‐CeO2 nanohybrids were synthesized by facile chemical oxidative polymerization technique. Several characterization techniques like XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM and XPS were used to investigate structural and surface morphological properties of CSA intercalated PAni‐CeO2 nanohybrids. Gas sensing investigation displays that CSA (50 wt %) intercalated PAni‐CeO2 nanohybrid sensor shows maximum response (93 %) towards 100 ppm NH3 gas at 30 °C. Dynamic response shows that the gas response increases with a linear increase in NH3 concentration (10–100 ppm). It has quick response and recovery time (8 sec and 482 sec) as well as significant stability (84.09 %) towards NH3. An impedance spectroscopy technique was used to provide information about the interaction mechanism between the NH3 gas molecules and the sensor surface.