Nanoparticles functionalized reduced graphene oxide thin films for detection of acetic acid at low concentrations

• Main Authors: Mohd Tombel, Nor Syahira, Mohd Yusoff, Marmeezee, Mohd Zaki, Hasan Firdaus, Md Yakin, Firzalaila Syarina, Mohamad Badaruddin, Siti Aishah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malaysian Analytical Sciences Society 2022
• Subjects: TA174 Engineering design
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/102585/7/102585_Nanoparticles%20functionalized%20reduced%20graphene%20oxide%20thin%20films.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/102585/; https://mjas.analis.com.my/mjas/v26_n6/pdf/Tombel_26_6_1.pdf

This research proposes reduced graphene oxide (rGO) functionalized with nanoparticles (NPs) from gold (Au), silver (Ag) and platinum (Pt) as a sensing material for the detection of acetic acid gas at low concentrations, from 1 to 5 part per million (ppm). The rGO was functionalized with NPs at different sputtering durations (15 sec and 75 sec) and relative frequency (RF) power (30W and 70W) to study the enhancement of sensing properties. The sensors were exposed to acetic acid from 1 to 5 ppm in the presence of 20% relative humidity (RH) and at 30 °C room temperature. In this work, the Au NPs/rGO (30W 15s), Ag NPs/rGO (30W 15s) and Pt NPs/rGO (70W 15s) sensors were reported to have a good response with sheet resistance, (Rs) at values: 327.2, 453.844 and 201.084 Ω/sq, respectively, compared with the reference sensor, rGO at only Rs, 529.614 Ω/sq. The three sensors had also recorded high R2 values compared to the reference rGO (0.9448) with values of 0.993, 0.966 and 0.995 for Au/rGO (30W 15s), Ag/rGO (30W 15s) and Pt/rGO (70W 15s), respectively. Thus, the functionalization of rGO with nanoparticles can enhance the sensor’s electrical properties and generate good responses for acetic acid gas detection at low concentrations.