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Interfacial Engineering in Rare-Earth Oxide/ZnO Heterojunctions for High-Performance Trimethylamine Sensing and Fish
Junxi Cheng1,2, Chang Liu1,2, Miaomiao Liu3
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|January 22, 2026
Summary
This study developed rare-earth oxide modified ZnO heterojunctions for high-performance room-temperature gas sensors. The Ytterbium oxide/ZnO sensor shows exceptional trimethylamine detection, crucial for food spoilage monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Chemical Sensing
Background:
- Developing high-performance gas sensors for room-temperature operation is a persistent challenge.
- Existing sensors often require elevated temperatures, increasing energy consumption and limiting applications.
- Novel materials are needed to enhance sensitivity, selectivity, and response times at ambient conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize rare-earth (RE) oxide modified ZnO heterojunctions (RE 2 O 3 /ZnO) for room-temperature (RT) gas detection.
- To investigate the structural, electronic, and sensing properties of these heterojunctions.
- To elucidate the sensing mechanism and demonstrate practical applications in food spoilage monitoring.
Main Methods:
- Co-precipitation method for synthesizing RE 2 O 3 /ZnO heterojunctions (RE = Nd, Y, Yb).
- Comprehensive characterization techniques including morphology, composition, and defect analysis.
- Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to understand electronic band structure and adsorption properties.
Main Results:
- Yb 2 O 3 /ZnO heterostructure exhibited optimal morphology, abundant oxygen vacancies, and favorable band alignment.
- The Yb 2 O 3 /ZnO sensor demonstrated high response (6.84k% to 500 ppm TMA), ultra-fast kinetics (8/14 s), and excellent selectivity at RT.
- A low theoretical detection limit of 0.926 ppm for trimethylamine (TMA) was achieved.
Conclusions:
- Yb 2 O 3 /ZnO heterojunctions offer a promising platform for superior RT gas sensors.
- The enhanced sensing performance is attributed to the Lewis acidity and polarizability of Yb 3+ ions.
- The sensor successfully monitored fish spoilage in real-time, validating its practical utility.
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