High-Sensitivity Room-Temperature Detection of H₂S Using ZnO/Ti₃C₂T_X Nanocomposite: Potential Applications in Exhaled...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Sensing

Background:

• Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) detection in exhaled breath is crucial for non-invasive health monitoring and disease diagnosis.
• Existing sensors often lack the sensitivity, speed, or room-temperature operability required for practical applications.
• Developing advanced materials for efficient H2S sensing remains a key challenge in biomedical diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a ZnO/Ti3C2Tx nanocomposite for enhanced room-temperature H2S detection.
• To evaluate the sensing performance of the nanocomposite, including sensitivity, response/recovery times, and detection limits.
• To demonstrate the potential of the developed sensor for differentiating H2S levels in healthy and patient breath samples.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles.
• Combination of ZnO nanoparticles with Ti3C2Tx MXene to form a ZnO/Ti3C2Tx nanocomposite.
• Fabrication and testing of gas sensors based on the synthesized nanocomposite for H2S detection at room temperature.

Main Results:

• The ZnO/Ti3C2Tx nanocomposite exhibited significantly enhanced H2S detection performance compared to pure ZnO or Ti3C2Tx.
• The ZnO/Ti3C2Tx-1.0 wt % sensor showed a 14-fold and 35-fold increase in response compared to pure ZnO and Ti3C2Tx, respectively.
• The sensor achieved a low detection limit of 1 ppb, with rapid response (50 s) and recovery (115 s) times at 100 ppb H2S.
• Effective differentiation of H2S levels in exhaled breath samples from healthy individuals and patients was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The ZnO/Ti3C2Tx nanocomposite offers excellent room-temperature H2S sensing capabilities with high sensitivity and rapid kinetics.
• This material holds significant promise for developing advanced, ultrasensitive biogas sensors for non-invasive breath analysis and disease diagnostics.
• The findings provide valuable insights into the design of next-generation chemiresistive sensors for biomedical applications.