Large-scale syntheses of uniform ZnO nanorods and ethanol gas sensors application

In this paper, we describe a low temperature, solution-based synthesis uniform ZnO nanorods with a gram scale, and their ethanol gas sensor property. The morphological, structural and optical properties of the as-prepared nanorods were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence. The results showed that the sample had uniform rod-like morphology with a narrow size distribution and highly crystallinity. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra of these nanorods show an exciton emission around 380 nm and a negligible deep-level emission, indicating the nanorods have high quality. The n-type semiconductor gas sensor properties were investigated using a side-heated type structure. The sensor exhibited high sensitivity and fast response to ethanol gas at a work temperature of 400°C. Our results demonstrate the potential application of ZnO nanorods for fabricating highly sensitive gas sensors and ultraviolet laser.