Sensing of hazardous gases has an important role in ensuring safety in a variety of industries as well as environments. Mainly produced by the combustion of fossil fuels and other organic matter, ethanol is a dangerous gas that endangers human health and the environment. Stability and sensing sensitivity are major considerations when designing gas sensors. Here, a superior ethanol sensor with a high response and fast recovery was synthesized by “wrapping” CdS nanoparticles on metallic Ti₃C₂T_x MXene using a simple method. CdS nanoparticles were uniformly covered on the Ti₃C₂T_x MXene surface, forming a “rice crust”-like heterostructure. The sensor displayed good detection of ethanol gas at room temperature. Response signals up to 31% were obtained for ethanol molecules (20 ppm) with quick recovery (41 s). The performance of the ethanol sensor was evaluated across a range of concentrations (5–100 ppm) and relative humidity (60% and 90% RH) at room temperature. Our method could open up a new strategy for the development of ethanol sensors.

Electrocatalysis underpins sustainable energy conversion and environmental remediation, yet designing high-performance, affordable, and durable electrocatalysts remains a critical challenge.

Synthesis of broccoli leaf-derived carbon dots and their incorporation into chitosan/gelatin as multifunctional packaging film.

Two-dimensional Ti ₃ C ₂ T _x MXene has attracted considerable attention owing to its metallic conductivity, tunable surface terminations, and structural versatility, which underpin its broad functional applicability.

In this study, S-deficient MoS2 was prepared using proton irradiation and then applied as sensing materials for the detection of NO2 gas. First, bulk MoS2 was treated by ultrasonics to produce 2D nanosheets of MoS2, which were subsequently bombarded by a flux of high-energy protons, resulting in the appearance of structural defects throughout MoS2. The proton fluxes were adjusted to different densities of 1 × 1011, 1 × 1012, 1 × 1013, and 1 × 1014 ions/cm2. The effects of proton irradiation on the defects, also referred to as atomic vacancies, were systematically investigated using Raman measurements to locate the E12g and A1g modes and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to determine the binding energy of Mo 3d and S 2p orbitals. It was revealed that the density of proton irradiation greatly affects the degree of S atom vacancies in irradiated MoS2, while also enhancing the n-type semiconducting behaviors of MoS2. The vacancy-rich MoS2 was then demonstrated to exhibit a higher response to NO2 gas compared to that of nonirradiated MoS2, showing a 4-fold increase in response within a concentration range from 1 to 20 ppm. These results could pave the way for new approaches to fabricating sensing materials.