Enhanced sensing response of the first polyoxometalate electron acceptor modified MoS2 for NO2 gas detection at room temperature

Here, we introduce polyoxometalate (POMs) electron acceptor into a classical 2-D gas sensing material, MoS2. The MoS2 @PW12 composite nanohydrangeas are prepared by hydrothermal and soaking methods. Then we explore the effect of POMs on sensing property of MoS2 gas sensor for the first time. The research results prove that the sensitivity to 100 ppm NO2 can be effectively promoted to 38.0% via introducing PW12, which is 3.42 times that of pristine MoS2. The promotion can be due to the formation of p-n heterojunction between MoS2 and PW12 and the shallow electron trapping effect of PW12, which can promote carriers migration and restrain their recombination. This work provides a novel thought to develop MoS2-based gas sensors with enhanced sensing sensitivity by the means of utilizing polyoxometalates as electron acceptors.