Low-Temperature, Highly Sensitive Ammonia Sensors Based on Nanostructured Copper Iodide Layers

Chemiresistive ammonia gas sensors with a low limit of detection of 0.15 ppm and moisture-independent characteristics based on <i>p</i>-type copper iodide (CuI) semiconductor films have been developed. CuI films were deposited on glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates usin...

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Main Authors: Sergey I. Petrushenko, Mateusz Fijalkowski, Kinga Adach, Denis Fedonenko, Yevhenii M. Shepotko, Sergei V. Dukarov, Volodymyr M. Sukhov, Alina L. Khrypunova, Natalja P. Klochko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Chemosensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9040/13/2/29
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Summary:Chemiresistive ammonia gas sensors with a low limit of detection of 0.15 ppm and moisture-independent characteristics based on <i>p</i>-type copper iodide (CuI) semiconductor films have been developed. CuI films were deposited on glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates using a Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction method to fabricate CuI/glass and CuI/PET gas sensors, respectively. They have a nanoscale morphology, an excess iodine and sulfur impurity content, a zinc blende γ-CuI crystal structure with a grain size of ~34 nm and an optical band gap of about 2.95 eV. The high selective sensitivity of both sensors to NH<sub>3</sub> is explained by the formation of the [Cu(NH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>]<sup>+</sup> complex. At 5 °C, the responses to 3 ppm ammonia in air in terms of the relative resistance change were 24.5 for the CuI/glass gas sensor and 28 for the CuI/PET gas sensor, with short response times of 50 s to 210 s and recovery times of 10–70 s. The sensors have a fast response–recovery and their performance was well maintained after long-term stability testing for 45 days. After 1000 repeated bends of the flexible CuI/PET gas sensor in different directions, with bending angles up to 180° and curvature radii up to 0.25 cm, the response changes were only 3%.
ISSN:2227-9040