A design of high performance gas sensor array with discrete islands of Au catalyst for increasing of zinc oxide nanowire junctions

In this study, an effective design for growth of ZnO nanowires directly on gas sensor chips is introduced. The design utilizes the dendrite islands of Au catalyst deposited between and on the Pt electrodes for the nanowires to grow on instead of a continuous seed layer or Au film. This lead to an increase of the nanowire-nanowire junctions in the devices, as well as a reduction of the leak current that would occur through the mentioned alternative seed layer; resulting in a higher sensitivity. The results showed that the developed gas sensors could be used for monitoring of NO₂ at low concentration.