Room temperature NO2 sensor based on highly ordered porphyrin nanotubes.

Highly ordered nanotubes of 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin zinc (ZnTAP) are fabricated by using nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as the template. Electronic absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), low-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques are adopted to characterize these nanotubes. The highly ordered nanotubes of ZnTAP show good conductivity and present an efficient gas sensor platform for the ultrasensitive detection of NO2 under room temperature. The proposed sensor shows high sensitivity, reproducibility and fast response/recovery behavior, and provides a promising avenue for improving the sensing performance.