Effect of Pd-decoration on the sensing properties of ZnO nanostructures

In this work, we present fabrication and studies of pure and Pd-decorated ZnO nanostructures on Ag-coated substrates in view of gas-sensing application. The sensor elements consist of a dense structure of ZnO nanobelts. The chemical composition of the surface and gas-sensing properties of pure and Pd-doped nanostructures were studied and compared. On the surface of the Pd-decorated ZnO samples, the presence was found of Pd and Pd-Ag clusters, as well as isolated Pd²⁺ ions were incorporated into the ZnO lattice. The Pd-ZnO sensor element showed a better response to CO, NH₃, and acetone compared to the pure ZnO sample. The Pd-ZnO sample exhibited its highest response to exposure to acetone at room temperature. We associate the improvement of sensing performance of the Pd-decorated ZnO nanostructures with the increased number of adsorption centers on the surface due to the Pd nanoparticles.