Novel Gas Sensing Approach: ReS₂/Ti₃C₂T Heterostructures for NH₃ Detection in Humid Environments

Continuous monitoring of ammonia (NH₃) in humid environments poses a notable challenge for gas sensing applications because of its effect on sensor sensitivity. The present work investigates the detection of NH₃ in a natural humid environment utilizing ReS₂/Ti₃C₂T heterostructures as a sensing platform. ReS₂ nanosheets were vertically grown on the surface of Ti₃C₂T sheets through a hydrothermal synthetic approach, resulting in the formation of ReS₂/Ti₃C₂T heterostructures. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of ReS₂/Ti₃C₂T were investigated using various state-of-the-art techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, zeta potential, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller technique, and Raman spectroscopy. The heterostructures exhibited 1.3- and 8-fold increases in specific surface area compared with ReS₂ and Ti₃C₂T, respectively, potentially enhancing the active gas adsorption sites. The electrical investigations of the ReS₂/Ti₃C₂T-based sensor demonstrated enhanced selectivity and superior sensing response ranging from 7.8 to 12.4% toward 10 ppm of NH₃ within a relative humidity range of 15-85% at room temperature. These findings highlight the synergistic effect of ReS₂ and Ti₃C₂T, offering valuable insights for NH₃ sensing in environments with high humidity, and are explained in the gas sensing mechanism.