Liu Kewei, Zheng Zichen, Zhou Yiwen, Bittencourt Carla, Debliquy Marc, Zhang Chao
College of Mechanical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, P. R. China.
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Surface Strengthening and Functional Manufacturing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, P. R. China.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 Jun 20:e02646. doi: 10.1002/advs.202502646.
Tetradecane, a long-chain alkane recently recognized as a volatile marker for early-stage mildew detection in stored grains and as a reference material in hydrocarbon studies, presents significant challenges for detection due to its inherent low reactivity and substantial molecular size. This study reports the synthesis of a microflower-like Fe@WO/ ZnCoO heterostructure for effective tetradecane sensing. The Fe@WO/ ZnCoO n-p junctions demonstrated significant alterations in electrical conductivity upon exposure to tetradecane at room temperature. The sensor achieved a reasonable detection limit of 78.4 ppb and a rapid recovery time of 36 s. The remarkable sensing performance is attributed to the synergistic interactions among multiple heterojunction interfaces, doping-induced active sites, the presence of oxygen vacancies, high-energy crystallographic facets, reduced grain size, and enhanced crystallinity, as supported by density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. This work identifies a promising candidate for the detection of distinct volatile organic compounds, warranting further exploration in agricultural and emission monitoring applications while addressing a critical gap in metal oxide semiconductor sensors for the detection of large-molecule gases.
十四烷是一种长链烷烃，最近被认为是储存谷物早期霉变检测的挥发性标志物以及烃类研究中的参考物质，由于其固有的低反应活性和较大的分子尺寸，对其进行检测面临重大挑战。本研究报道了一种用于有效检测十四烷的微花状Fe@WO/ZnCoO异质结构的合成。Fe@WO/ZnCoO n-p结在室温下暴露于十四烷时，电导率表现出显著变化。该传感器实现了78.4 ppb的合理检测限和36秒的快速恢复时间。密度泛函理论计算和分子动力学模拟表明，卓越的传感性能归因于多个异质结界面之间的协同相互作用、掺杂诱导的活性位点、氧空位的存在、高能晶体学面、减小的晶粒尺寸和增强的结晶度。这项工作确定了一种用于检测不同挥发性有机化合物的有前景的候选材料，在农业和排放监测应用中值得进一步探索，同时填补了金属氧化物半导体传感器检测大分子气体方面的关键空白。
