NiO/ZnO composites were synthesized by decorating numerous Nio nanoparticles on the surfaces of well dispersed ZnO hollow spheres using a facile solvothermal method. Various kinds of characterization methods were utilized to investigate the structures and morphologies of the hybrid materials. The results revealed that the NiO nanoparticles with a size of similar to 10 nm were successfully distributed on the surfaces of ZnO hollow spheres in a discrete manner. As expected, the NiO/ZnO composites demonstrated dramatic improvements in sensing performances compared with pure ZnO hollow spheres. For example, the response of NiO/ZnO composites to 100 ppm acetone was similar to 29.8, which was nearly 4.6 times higher than that of primary ZnO at 275 degrees C, and the response/recovery time were 1/20 s, respectively. Meanwhile, the detection limit could extend down to ppb level. The likely reason for the improved gas sensing properties was also proposed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.