NH3 gas sensing properties of nanocrystalline ZnO based thick films.

Zinc acetate derived precursor used in the present sol-gel synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles is described. The reaction product obtained before and after reflux of propanolic zinc acetate solution have been studied by UV-vis, photoluminescence and FT-IR studies which confirm the formation of oligomeric precursor Zn4O(Ac)6 (Ac=CH3COO). The formation of approximately 7 nm zinc oxide nanoparticles were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopic studies (TEM). The gaseous ammonia gas sensing characteristics of the nano-zinc oxide sensor showed high sensitivity compared to sensor fabricated with commercial zinc oxide powder.