title: Synthesis of ZrO2-carbon nanotube composites and their application as chemiluminescent sensor material for ethanol.
abstract: ZrO2-carbon nanotube (CNT) composites have been successfully synthesized via decomposition of Zr(NO3)4.5H2O in supercritical carbon dioxide-ethanol solution with dispersed CNTs at relatively low temperatures. The samples were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses. It was demonstrated that CNTs were fully coated with an amorphous ZrO2 layer, and the coating layer was nominally complete and uniform. In addition, the thickness of the coating sheath could be readily controlled by tuning the Zr(NO3)4.5H2O/CNTs ratio used. Furthermore, the chemiluminescent sensor prepared from ZrO2-carbon nanotube composites exhibited dramatic sensitivity as well as high stability and selectivity to ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Laboratory of Colloids, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China.
authors.forename: Zhenyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xinrong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Na
authors.forename: Zhimin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Buxing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Guimin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: An