UV-Assisted Alcohol Sensing With Zinc Oxide-Functionalized Gallium Nitride Nanowires

Alcohol sensors using gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires (NWs) functionalized with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles have been demonstrated. These sensors operate at room temperature, are fully recoverable, and demonstrate a response and recovery time on the order of 100 s. The sensing is assisted by UV light within the 215-400-nm band and with the intensity of 375 nW/cm
²
measured at 365 nm. The ability to functionalize an inactive NW surface, with analyte-specific active metal-oxide nanoparticles, makes this sensor technique suitable for fabricating multianalyte sensor arrays.