Work Function Modification of Borophene by Barium Decoration Towards Room Temperature NO2 Gas Sensor

Because of the high surface-to-volume ratios, extensive surface activity, and defect sites, two-dimensional (2D) materials are seen as promising candidate sensing materials for fabricating gas sensors. Borophene, a recent 2D material, is used for NO2 gas sensing in this work. Decreasing the work function can reduce the work needed to remove the electron from the solid surface. Barium (an alkaline earth metal) is used to improve the gas sensing performance towards NO2 gas by reducing the work function. Barium decorated borophene sensor showed a better sensing response of 51.5% than pristine borophene (24.1%) for 25 ppm NO2 gas at room temperature (25 degrees C). The sensitivities of 0.848 and 0.984 ppm(-1) of pristine and barium decorated borophene, respectively, show a better sensitivity for barium decorated borophene. These findings suggest that fabricated sensors can detect NO2 gas at varying concentrations for environmental and human safety.