Influence of the Size of Coal Ash FAU Zeolites Used as Dopants on the Sensing Properties of Nb2O5 Thin Films

In this study, solid waste from coal combustion in thermal power plants (TPPs) was used for the synthesis of zeolite Na-X samples. They were prepared by the long-term alkaline atmospheric conversion of coal ash collected from the electrostatic precipitators in the TPP “AES Galabovo”. When used in the form of thin films/layers, the optical detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is possible due to a change in their reflectance spectra and color. In order to improve the sensing properties of synthesized zeolites, they were wet milled for 60 s and both milled and unmilled zeolites were used as dopants for the niobium oxide matrix in the form of thin films deposited by the spin-coating method on a silicon substrate. The surface morphology and structure of both zeolite powders were studied by scanning electron microscopy, while their size was determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS) spectra. Optical constants (refractive index, n, and extinction coefficient, k) and the thickness of the films were calculated from reflectance measurements. The change in the reflection coefficient ∆R of the films was determined from measured reflectance spectra prior to and after exposure to probe acetone molecules. An increase in the reaction of the films with milled zeolites to acetone, compared to the samples with unmilled zeolites, is demonstrated.