Facile synthesis of size-controlled Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanotubes for highly sensitive H(2)S detection

Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) is one of the most plentiful toxic gases in a real-life and causes a collapse of the nervous system and a disturbance of the cellular respiration. Therefore, highly sensitive and selective H(2)S gas sensor systems are becoming increasingly important in environmental monitoring and safety. In this report, we suggest the facile synthesis method of the Fe(2)O(3) particles uniformly decorated on carbon nanotubes (Fe(2)O(3)@CNT) to detect H(2)S gas using oxidative co-polymerization (pyrrole and 3-carboxylated pyrrole) and heat treatment. The as prepared Fe(2)O(3)@CNT-based sensor electrode is highly sensitive (as low as 1 ppm), selective and stable to H(2)S gas at 25 °C, which shows promise for operating in medical diagnosis and environment monitoring. Excellent performance of the Fe(2)O(3)@CNT is due to the unique morphology of the nanocomposites made from uniformly dispersed Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles on the carbon surface without aggregation.