High-performance ethanol gas sensor achieved by assembling In₂O₃-modified ZnO on multilayered Ti₃C₂T_x MXene

A novel gas-sensing material is reported by assembling In₂O₃-modified ZnO on multilayered Ti₃C₂T_x MXene with a high specific surface area (160.88 m²g^-1). The maximum response value (88.90) was achieved for 250 ppm ethanol at a low temperature of 150 °C, with a fast response/recovery time of 5.5/26 s. The detection limit reached 0.5 ppm with a response value as high as 1.45. This sensor also exhibited superior selectivity, reproducibility, and long-term stability. The results showed that the incorporation of In₂O₃ effectively reduced the operating temperature of the ZnO sensor, and the MXene composite significantly enhanced the response value and reduced the response/recovery time. The enhanced gas-sensing performance was mainly attributed to the high specific surface area and three-dimensional hybrid heterostructure. This paper provided valuable insights on the modification of ZnO-based sensing materials.