NiO Grained-Flowers and Nanoparticles for Ethanol Sensing.

Grained-flower and nanoparticles NiO samples were synthesized with a straightforward, surfactant-free hydrothermal procedure, and probed with respect to ethanol gas-sensing. Both morphologies displayed excellent performances in terms of gas response vs. temperature and concentration and are very reproducible. The grained-flower, however, performed better than the nanoparticles NiO, probably due to the shorter travelling distance of the electrons and/or adsorbates during the detection process. Both sensors displayed high stability over three weeks. The grained-flower NiO sensor also has a good selectivity.