MgFe₂O₄ thin films for detection of ethanol and acetone vapours

ABSTRACT

Spinel MgFe₂O₄ thin films are prepared with the spray pyrolysis technique. The morphological study shows sand-like crystallites on the film with porosity. The structural study substantiates the polycrystalline nature of the synthesised MgFe₂O₄ films, which possess a spinel structure. The crystallite size is found to be 25–45 nm in size, which is noted from the morphological study. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) reveals the existence of iron, oxygen and magnesium in MgFe₂O₄ film. The electrical resistance of MgFe₂O₄ decreases rapidly when the film is exposed towards acetone and ethanol vapours. The synthesised MgFe₂O₄ is highly sensitive to acetone vapour at 323 K. The selectivity, sensitivity, recovery time, stability and response time of MgFe₂O₄ film to acetone and ethanol sensing are described in this article. The findings show that MgFe₂O₄ films can be efficiently used for the detection of ethanol and acetone.

KEYWORDS:

• MgFe₂O₄
• ethanol
• acetone
• response time
• sensitivity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.