Nanostructured Doped ZnO–SnO₂ Composite Pellets for Multifunctional Device Applications

Paper ID: EIJTEM_2020_7_4_24-30

Author's Name: Dr Arindam Ghosh

Volume: 7

Issue: 4

Year: 2020

Page No: 24-30

Abstract:

Semiconductor metal oxides such as ZnO and SnO₂ are widely used in sensing and electronic applications; however, their individual limitations in sensitivity, response time, and operational stability restrict overall device performance and practical deployment. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of integrating doping, nanostructuring, and heterojunction formation in ZnO–SnO₂ composite pellets to enhance multifunctional device performance. An experimental and comparative research design was employed using five models, including baseline systems and the proposed Doped Nanostructured ZnO–SnO₂ Heterojunction (DNZSH) model. Structural, morphological, and electrical properties were systematically analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electrical testing techniques under controlled conditions. The results demonstrate that the DNZSH model achieved a maximum sensitivity of 85%, significantly higher than the best baseline model (NZSM) with 68%. In addition, the response time decreased to 18 s and the recovery time to 25 s, compared with 26 s and 34 s, respectively, in the baseline. Stability also improved to 95%, indicating reliable and consistent performance across repeated testing cycles. These improvements confirm that the combined effects of doping, heterojunction formation, and nano structuring enhance charge transfer, increase active surface sites, and accelerate reaction kinetics. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of integrating multiple material engineering strategies to overcome the limitations of conventional single modification approaches. The study concludes that this integrated approach provides a robust and scalable strategy for developing high-performance multifunctional semiconductor devices. Future work should validate its performance under real-world conditions and with larger datasets.

Keywords: Doping, Gas Sensing, Response Time, ZnO–SnO₂ composites, Electrical Conductivity, Nanostructured materials, Heterojunction, Nanostructured materials

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