BN/NiO nanocomposites: Structural, defect chemistry and electrical properties in hydrogen gas atmosphere

Composite materials possess superior properties than their constituents which opens a field for different functional application devices. In present work films of boron nitride, nickel oxide and boron nitride/nickel oxide nanocomposite has been deposited using the drop-casting method. The structural analysis confirmed BN and NiO phase formation and the presence of defect states in the deposited films. The morphological analysis also shows the change in the morphology with composite formation. Electrical results revealed that BN60/NiO40 nanocomposite possesses more resistivity than BN in the presence of hydrogen gas. A model has been proposed to explain variation in the electrical properties. To calculate the variation in resistivity with the change in hydrogen gas concentration, a linear regression technique has been used. It is observed that all BN, BN60/NiO40, and NiO films show significant (p < 0.001) positive change in resistivity with the increase in gas concentration. The present work illustrates the possibility that these materials can be explored for hydrogen gas sensing purposes.