A novel bio-H2S sensor based on Cu2O/ZnO heterostructure ordered nanoarrays

Abstract

Abstract Cu2O/ZnO heterostructure ordered nanoarrays were prepared with an in situ electrodeposition method for H2S detection in biological samples at room temperature. Based on this new material, a novel sensor was proposed, which exhibited good performances for sensitivity and selectivity for bio-H2S detection due to the surface/interface effects and long-range ordered structure. It was confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that these good performances were mainly attributed to the conversion of Cu2O to metallic CuxS on the surface of the ordered structure. In addition, the sensor had good portability due to its small size. Our results suggest that the Cu2O/ZnO heterostructure ordered nanoarrays are promising candidates for high-performance H2S sensors applied in disease diagnosis and environmental assessment.