In-situ growth WO3@ZIF-8 core-shell nanorod arrays for highly responsive and selective NO2 detection

In this research, a two-step hydrothermal method was used to fabricate a NO 2 sensor based on WO 3 @ZIF-8 core-shell nanorods grown on ceramic tubes. The material's morphology, nanostructure, and composition were thoroughly characterized. The nanocomposites consisting of WO 3 @ZIF-8 showed significant sensing response (65) toward 50 ppm NO 2 at 200 °C. The WO 3 @ZIF-8 core-shell nanomaterials demonstrated exceptional selectivity to NO 2 against TEA and possessed good repeatability. Moreover, the distinctive core-shell nanorods structure promote the process of transferring the electrical charge of the carrier and the response to the targeted gas. The outer coating of ZIF-8 microporous material, with small pore window size (0.5–0.7 nm), had a sieving effect on large molecular interference gases. Further, we combined density functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the reaction mechanism of the sensors.