Sustainable Conversion of Corncob Biomass Waste into High Performance Carbon Materials for Detection of VOCs at Room Temperature
The demand for reliable, cost-effective, room temperature gas sensors with high sensitivity, selectivity, and short response times is rising, particularly for environmental monitoring, biomedicine, and agriculture. In this study, corncob waste-derived activated carbon (ACC) was combined with CuO nan...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/1/110 |
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| author | Lindokuhle P. Magagula Clinton M. Masemola Tshwafo E. Motaung Nosipho Moloto Ella C. Linganiso-Dziike |
| author_facet | Lindokuhle P. Magagula Clinton M. Masemola Tshwafo E. Motaung Nosipho Moloto Ella C. Linganiso-Dziike |
| author_sort | Lindokuhle P. Magagula |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The demand for reliable, cost-effective, room temperature gas sensors with high sensitivity, selectivity, and short response times is rising, particularly for environmental monitoring, biomedicine, and agriculture. In this study, corncob waste-derived activated carbon (ACC) was combined with CuO nanoparticles and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to fabricate ACC/PVA/CuO composites with CuO loadings of 5, 10, and 15 wt.%. The CuO nanoparticles (average size: 21.79 ± 9.88 nm) were successfully incorporated into the ACC matrix, as confirmed by TEM, XRD, and N<sub>2</sub> adsorption–desorption analyses. Increasing CuO content reduced the specific surface area due to pore blockage but enhanced the composites’ ethanol sensing performance. The ACC/PVA/CuO (15 wt.%) sensor exhibited the highest response and fastest recovery times (125 s and 130 s, respectively, at 100 ppm ethanol), outperforming other composites and pristine ACC. This improvement was attributed to surface defects and increased active sites promoting vapor adsorption and diffusion. These results demonstrate the potential of ACC/PVA/CuO as an effective ethanol sensor at room temperature. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0cdae647fad148afb07aedde4234fee2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-0cdae647fad148afb07aedde4234fee22025-01-10T13:18:54ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492024-12-0130111010.3390/molecules30010110Sustainable Conversion of Corncob Biomass Waste into High Performance Carbon Materials for Detection of VOCs at Room TemperatureLindokuhle P. Magagula0Clinton M. Masemola1Tshwafo E. Motaung2Nosipho Moloto3Ella C. Linganiso-Dziike4Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein 2050, South AfricaMolecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein 2050, South AfricaDepartment of Chemistry, Sefako Makgatho Health Science University, Medunsa 0204, South AfricaMolecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein 2050, South AfricaMolecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein 2050, South AfricaThe demand for reliable, cost-effective, room temperature gas sensors with high sensitivity, selectivity, and short response times is rising, particularly for environmental monitoring, biomedicine, and agriculture. In this study, corncob waste-derived activated carbon (ACC) was combined with CuO nanoparticles and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to fabricate ACC/PVA/CuO composites with CuO loadings of 5, 10, and 15 wt.%. The CuO nanoparticles (average size: 21.79 ± 9.88 nm) were successfully incorporated into the ACC matrix, as confirmed by TEM, XRD, and N<sub>2</sub> adsorption–desorption analyses. Increasing CuO content reduced the specific surface area due to pore blockage but enhanced the composites’ ethanol sensing performance. The ACC/PVA/CuO (15 wt.%) sensor exhibited the highest response and fastest recovery times (125 s and 130 s, respectively, at 100 ppm ethanol), outperforming other composites and pristine ACC. This improvement was attributed to surface defects and increased active sites promoting vapor adsorption and diffusion. These results demonstrate the potential of ACC/PVA/CuO as an effective ethanol sensor at room temperature.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/1/110corncob residueVOC detectionactivated carbonethanol sensingroom temperature gas sensing |
| spellingShingle | Lindokuhle P. Magagula Clinton M. Masemola Tshwafo E. Motaung Nosipho Moloto Ella C. Linganiso-Dziike Sustainable Conversion of Corncob Biomass Waste into High Performance Carbon Materials for Detection of VOCs at Room Temperature Molecules corncob residue VOC detection activated carbon ethanol sensing room temperature gas sensing |
| title | Sustainable Conversion of Corncob Biomass Waste into High Performance Carbon Materials for Detection of VOCs at Room Temperature |
| title_full | Sustainable Conversion of Corncob Biomass Waste into High Performance Carbon Materials for Detection of VOCs at Room Temperature |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable Conversion of Corncob Biomass Waste into High Performance Carbon Materials for Detection of VOCs at Room Temperature |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable Conversion of Corncob Biomass Waste into High Performance Carbon Materials for Detection of VOCs at Room Temperature |
| title_short | Sustainable Conversion of Corncob Biomass Waste into High Performance Carbon Materials for Detection of VOCs at Room Temperature |
| title_sort | sustainable conversion of corncob biomass waste into high performance carbon materials for detection of vocs at room temperature |
| topic | corncob residue VOC detection activated carbon ethanol sensing room temperature gas sensing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/1/110 |
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