Highly Selective Toluene Adsorption Studies of Holey Graphene Oxide Thin Film Using Scanning Kelvin Probe

Chemical-oxidative etching was used to create in-plane nanopores to synthesize holey graphene oxide (HGO) towards volatile organic compounds (VOCs) adsorption studies. HR-TEM revealed the uniform distribution pores across the whole basal plane. The HGO thin films subjected to scanning Kelvin probe (SKP) measurements in the presence of VOCs revealed enhanced response, and selectivity to toluene vapours when compared acetone, ethanol and triethylamine under UV light illumination. The dominant response towards toluene was discussed through Knudsen diffusion mechanism. Our discussions provide a fundamental understanding for the development of different VOCs gas sensors.