Humidity sensing properties of ZnO-based fibers by electrospinning

Abstract

Zinc oxide (ZnO) based fibers with a diameter of 80-100 nm were prepared by electrospinning. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and zinc acetate dihydrate were dissolved in water and the polymer/salt solution was electrospun at 2.5 kV cm-1. The resulting electrospun fibers were subjected to calcination at 500 °C for 2 h to obtain ZnO-based fibers. Humidity sensing properties of the fiber mats were investigated by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method and electrical measurements. The adsorption kinetics under constant relative humidity (RH) between 10% and 90% were explained using Langmuir adsorption model. Results of the measurements showed that ZnO-based fibers were found to be promising candidate for humidity sensing applications at room temperature.