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Vol. 38 No. 2 (2026): Vol 38 Issue 2, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Supriya Shukla, sharda Gadale, Prof. Kiran Kumar K. Sharma, Suraj Salunkhe, Sourabh Mohite, Vaishali Raut

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

ZnO Thin Films Synthesized by Ultra Spray Pyrolysis: Structural Characterization, Gas Sensing Behaviour and Antimicrobial Activity

https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2026.34808
Supriya Shukla
Department of Chemistry, Yashwantrao Mohite College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune-411038, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1581-8599
Suraj Salunkhe
Department of Chemistry, Yashwantrao Mohite College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune-411038, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9012-4151
Vaishali Raut
Department of Chemistry, Yashwantrao Mohite College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune-411038, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3586-9546
Saurabh Mohite
Department of Chemistry, Yashwantrao Mohite College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune-411038, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6884-8111
Kiran Kumar Sharma
Department of Chemistry, School of Nanoscience and Biotechnology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur-416004, India
Sharda Gadale
Department of Chemistry, Yashwantrao Mohite College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune-411038, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2872-505X

Corresponding Author(s) : Sharda Gadale

dagade@rediffmail.com

Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 38 No. 2 (2026): Vol 38 Issue 2, 2026

Abstract

In this work, ZnO thin films were prepared using the ultra-spray pyrolysis technique at 300 ºC, employing precursor (zinc acetate) molarities of 0.3 M, 0.4 M, 0.5 M and 0.6 M. The structural, morphological, optical and compositional properties of the films were systematically investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). XRD analysis confirmed the formation of polycrystalline ZnO films with a preferential orientation along the (101) crystallographic plane. AFM measurements revealed that the films deposited at higher precursor concentrations exhibited reduced thickness and improved surface smooth-ness, with a minimum roughness value of 8.94 nm. Optical studies showed that the band gap energy of the ZnO thin films varied between 3.0 and 3.4 eV, depending on the molarity. FESEM images indicated the presence of uniformly distributed nanometric grains with a hexagonal morphology across all samples. Gas-sensing devices fabricated from the ZnO films demonstrated effective detection of NO2 gas, with the 0.6 M film exhibiting the highest response of approximately 43.6 toward 40 ppm NO2 at an operating temperature of 463 K. The enhanced sensing performance is attributed to surface defects and oxygen vacancies induced by Zn2+-related non-stoichiometry, which facilitate charge transfer during gas adsorption and promote the sensing mechanism. Moreover, prepared ZnO thin films exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis, attributed to reactive oxygen species generation and Zn2+-mediated cell wall disruption, with the 0.4 M film showing the highest efficacy.

Keywords

Ultra spray pyrolysis ZnO Thin films Optical band gap Gas sensor
(1)
Shukla, S.; Salunkhe, S.; Raut, V.; Mohite, S.; Sharma, K. K.; Gadale, S. ZnO Thin Films Synthesized by Ultra Spray Pyrolysis: Structural Characterization, Gas Sensing Behaviour and Antimicrobial Activity. ajc 2026, 38, 425-433.
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