Investigating the Metallic Nanoparticles Decoration on Reduced Graphene Oxide-Based Sensors Used to Detect Sulfur Dioxide

Elisa Ruiz (1) , Christelle Varenne (1) , Bruno de Lima (2) , Thiaka Gueye (1) , Alain Pauly (1) , Jérôme Brunet (1) , Valmor Mastelaro (2) , Amadou Ndiaye (1)

1 IP - Institut Pascal
2 USP - Universidade de São Paulo = University of São Paulo

This paper presents the impact of the decoration of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with metallic nanoparticles to detect sulfur dioxide (SO2). Copper and platinum were employed to produce metal nanoparticles (NPs) for the chemical and physical decoration of rGO to form the nanocomposites (rGO/NPs). We optimized NP loading by varying the concentrations of metal ions and deposition times for chemical and physical decoration, respectively. The chemical decoration presents a random nanoparticle distribution on the rGO surface with a broad particle size distribution (1 to 100 nm with a majority less than 40 nm). In comparison, the physical decoration presents uniformly distributed nanoparticles with particles of a size between 1 and 20 nm, with a majority less than 10 nm. The chemically decorated structures present the best gas responses and show that lower NP loading provides better responses. The nanocomposites present responses owing to a better synergy between NPs and the rGO surface, combined with the catalytic action of the NPs on the rGO. The physical decoration allows higher NP surface coverage than the chemical one but implies a lower remaining rGO naked surface for gaseous molecule interaction. These results illustrate that the NPs’ surface and the uncovered rGO contribute to the gas response.

Keywords: rGO; nanoparticles; nanocomposites; functionalization; gas sensors; SO2; NPs loading; physical decoration; chemical decoration

Domains: Material chemistry; Analytical chemistry; Environmental Engineering

Elisa Ruiz, Christelle Varenne, Bruno de Lima, Thiaka Gueye, Alain Pauly, et al.. Investigating the Metallic Nanoparticles Decoration on Reduced Graphene Oxide-Based Sensors Used to Detect Sulfur Dioxide. Chemosensors, 2024, 12 (2), pp.24. ⟨10.3390/chemosensors12020024⟩. ⟨hal-04567602⟩