Quartz Crystal Microbalance Coated with Polyacrylonitrile/Nickel Nanofibers for High-Performance Methanol Gas Detection

This study describes a sensor based on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) coated by polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers containing nickel nanoparticles for methanol gas detection. The PAN/nickel nanofibers composites were made via electrospinning and electrospray methods. The QCM sensors coated with the PAN/nickel nanofiber composite were evaluated for their sensitivities, selectivities, and stabilities. The morphologies and elemental compositions of the sensors were examined using a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray. A Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer was used to investigate the elemental bonds within the nanofiber composites. The QCM sensors coated with PAN/nickel nanofibers offered a high specific surface area to enhance the QCM sensing performance. They exhibited excellent sensing characteristics, including a high sensitivity of 389.8 ± 3.8 Hz/SCCM, response and recovery times of 288 and 251 s, respectively, high selectivity for methanol compared to other gases, a limit of detection (LOD) of about 1.347 SCCM, and good long-term stability. The mechanism of methanol gas adsorption by the PAN/nickel nanofibers can be attributed to intermolecular interactions, such as the Lewis acid–base reaction by PAN nanofibers and hydrogen bonding by nickel nanoparticles. The results suggest that QCM-coated PAN/nickel nanofiber composites show great potential for the design of highly sensitive and selective methanol gas sensors.