Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Activated Durian Peel Carbon/Graphene/PEDOT:PSS Nanocomposite Ink for Acetone Detection

This work presents a room‐temperature acetone sensor based on activated durian peel carbon/graphene/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) decorated with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO/ADC/GP/PEDOT:PSS). The ADC/GP/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite‐based inks were printed onto substrates by using an ordinary desktop inkjet printer. The ZnO nanoparticles were then decorated on the nanocomposites by a sparking process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, the Barrett–Joyner–Halenda method, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x‐ray diffractometry, and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the existence of ZnO nanoparticles on the ADC/GP/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposites. The ZnO/ADC/GP/PEDOT:PSS with a condition of 3 min Zn wire sparking exhibited the highest response and selectivity to a low concentration of acetone at room temperature. The enhancement of acetone‐sensing properties was assigned to the increased active sites by the addition of GP, ADC, and ZnO nanoparticles. Furthermore, the mechanism of acetone sensing for the ZnO/ADC/GP/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite was discussed based on the formation of the p‐type semiconducting ADC/GP/PEDOT:PSS and the n‐type semiconducting ZnO nanoparticle heterojunctions with an adsorption‐assisted mechanism. This work contributes useful insights to optimizing ZnO/ADC/GP/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposites for future inkjet‐printed gas‐sensing applications.