Crucial structural effects of porous Co3O4 derived from Prussian blue analogue on the enhanced gas sensing performance

Abstract Recently, porous metal oxides derived from MOF (metal-organic framework) has been reported to have outstanding gas sensing performance. However, how and why the structures derived from MOF promote the properties need a further research. Herein, porous Co 3 O 4 was synthesized by calcining Prussian blue analogue (PBA, a typical MOF material) cubes. As-prepared Co 3 O 4 has a porous cubic structure and shows a high response to n-butanol. By comparing with the smashed sample, it is found that the hierarchical structure of initial Co 3 O 4 derived from PBA templates contributes to the enhanced gas sensing performance. It is because that the special porous structure is beneficial for the diffusion of n-butanol deep inside the sensing layer.