Influence of Ag-Bi2S3 nanocomposites for highly sensitive and selective Cl2 gas sensors: Synthesis, characterization, and gas sensing performance.

[Display omitted] • Bi 2 S 3 material was synthesized via the SILAR process, enhanced with Ag to boost gas sensing efficiency. • FESEM, EDX, XRD, XPS, RAMAN were used to thoroughly analyze the structure and composition of both pure and Ag-Bi 2 S 3 nanocomposites. • The Ag-Bi 2 S 3 sensor excelled at detecting chlorine gas, with optimal performance at 150 °C across a broad temperature range and low Cl 2 concentrations. • Ag integration improved the material properties, resulting in significantly better gas sensing. • HOMO-LUMO and PCA techniques provided deeper insights into the sensor's performance in diverse gas sensing applications. The gas sensing capabilities of Bi 2 S 3 chalcogenide have been actively enhanced and explored revealing its potential for high-performance Cl 2 gas detection under different environmental conditions and sensing configurations. This work successfully synthesized Bi 2 S 3 material via the SILAR method and further enhanced its sensing capabilities by fabricating Ag-Bi 2 S 3 nanocomposite. Both pristine Bi 2 S 3 and Ag-Bi 2 S 3 nanocomposite films underwent comprehensive characterization utilizing techniques such as FESEM, EDX, XRD, XPS, and RAMAN to analyze their morphological, structural, and chemical properties. Gas sensing capabilities were evaluated across a temperature range of 26–350 °C and varying Cl 2 gas concentrations (0.1–50 ppm). The findings reveal that the Ag-Bi 2 S 3 sensor demonstrates notably superior Cl 2 sensing response, particularly at an operational temperature of 150 °C, suggesting its promising potential for Cl 2 detection. The LOD has been calculated for Ag-Bi 2 S 3 sensor showing results of 0.150 better than pristine Bi 2 S 3. HOMO-LUMO and PCA analysis for sensors has been studied to understand their capabilities with different gas sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]