NiO/ZnO nanocomposites for high-performance ethyl formate detection in fish meal

This study reports on the development of a NiO quantum dot-modified ZnO gas sensor, which is designed for detecting ethyl formate, a crucial indicator of fish meal spoilage. The results indicated that NiO quantum dots were uniformly dispersed on the surface of ZnO, leading to the formation of a P N heterojunction that enhanced the gas sensing properties. Among the sensors tested, the S2 sensor (with a NiO doping of 0.1 mmol) exhibited the highest response value of 15.75 when exposed to 100 ppm of ethyl formate at 260 °C, additionally presented out excellent selectivity, linear response behavior, and long-term stability. The superior performance of the S2 sensor can be attributed to its unique jackfruit-like structure and the formation of P N junctions. These features increase the number of active sites and modulate the electronic properties of the material. The S2 sensor has been implemented for the assessment of fish meal freshness. This study emphasizes the great potential of this sensor for the real-time monitoring of fish meal freshness, offering significant applications in the field of food and feed safety.