Ru quantum dots decorated graphitic carbon nitride (Ru-QDs@g-CN) for chemi-resistive sensing of 3-methyl-1-butanol at room temperature

Probing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the living ambiance is cardinally crucial. Sensors especially fabricated using 2D organic polymers are gaining significant attention owing to their intriguing properties. One such 2D organic polymer is graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN, commonly called as g-C3N4), known for its π-conjugation and organic functionalities. In this background, we report the room temperature chemi-resistive sensing of 3-methyl-1-butanol species using Ru quantum dots (QDs) decorated g-CN (Ru-QDs@g-CN). Ru-QDs@g-CN confirmed the formation of a 2D lamellar structure with an active decoration of Ru QDs having an average size of 2.3 nm. Ru-QDs@g-CN sensor showed selective sensing behavior towards 3-methyl-1-butanol at room temperature (303 K), and the observed sensing response (S= 55.18) was ~3.86 times higher than that of the bulk g-CN. The sensor exhibited the detection limit of 1 ppm with the response and recovery times of 30 and 24 s, respectively. The observed sensing response is superior to the work reported using poly(o-phenylenediamine) in the literature.