An 8 MeV Electron Beam Modified In:ZnO Thin Films for CO Gas Sensing towards Low Concentration
Aninamol Ani,
P. Poornesh,
Albin Antony,
K. K. Nagaraja,
Ashok Rao,
Gopalkrishna Hegde,
Evgeny Kolesnikov,
Igor V. Shchetinin,
Suresh D. Kulkarni,
Vikash Chandra Petwal,
Vijay Pal Verma,
Jishnu Dwivedi
Affiliations
Aninamol Ani
Department of Physics, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
P. Poornesh
Department of Physics, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
Albin Antony
Department of Physics, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
K. K. Nagaraja
Department of Physics, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
Ashok Rao
Department of Physics, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
Gopalkrishna Hegde
Department of Nano-Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, Karnataka, India
Evgeny Kolesnikov
Department of Functional Nanosystems and High-Temperature Materials, National University of Science and Technology “MISiS”, Leninskiy Pr. 4, 119049 Moscow, Russia
Igor V. Shchetinin
Department of Physical Materials Science, National University of Science and Technology “MISiS”, Leninskiy Pr. 4, 119049 Moscow, Russia
Suresh D. Kulkarni
Department of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
Vikash Chandra Petwal
Industrial Accelerator Section, PSIAD, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452012, Madhya Pradesh, India
Vijay Pal Verma
Industrial Accelerator Section, PSIAD, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452012, Madhya Pradesh, India
Jishnu Dwivedi
Industrial Accelerator Section, PSIAD, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452012, Madhya Pradesh, India
In the present investigation, electron beam-influenced modifications on the CO gas sensing properties of indium doped ZnO (IZO) thin films were reported. Dose rates of 5, 10, and 15 kGy were irradiated to the IZO nano films while maintaining the In doping concentration to be 15 wt%. The wurtzite structure of IZO films is observed from XRD studies post electron beam irradiation, confirming structural stability, even in the intense radiation environment. The surface morphological studies by SEM confirms the granular structure with distinct and sharp grain boundaries for 5 kGy and 10 kGy irradiated films whereas the IZO film irradiated at 15 kGy shows the deterioration of defined grains. The presence of defects viz oxygen vacancies, interstitials are recorded from room temperature photoluminescence (RTPL) studies. The CO gas sensing estimations were executed at an optimized operating temperature of 300 °C for 1 ppm, 2 ppm, 3 ppm, 4 ppm, and 5 ppm. The 10 kGy treated IZO film displayed an enhanced sensor response of 2.61 towards low concentrations of 1 ppm and 4.35 towards 5 ppm. The enhancement in sensor response after irradiation is assigned to the growth in oxygen vacancies and well-defined grain boundaries since the former and latter act as vital adsorption locations for the CO gas.
