Pore size dependent acetic acid gas sensing performance of mesoporous CuO

Mesoporous CuO materials with adjustable pore size and high specific surface area were successfully synthesized by a simple and economical one-pot hydrothermal method. The structure and morphology of mesoporous CuO materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, Scanning electron microscope, Electron energy spectrometer, Nitrogen adsorption and desorption, Transmission electron microscope, Fourier infrared spectrometer. The effect of thickness of the sensing film on gas-sensing performance was studied, and it was found that the best sensing performance was shown when the film thickness was about 71 μm. Under the optimal film thickness, the influence of the pore size and specific surface area of the mesoporous CuO materials on the gas-sensing performance was further studied in detail. Analysis of gas sensing results reveled that the mesoporous CuO material with higher specific surface area and suitable pore size distribution showed enhanced acetic acid sensing performance.