Title:Humidity Sensing Properties of Multiwalled Carbon NanotubePolyvinyl Alcohol Nanocomposite Films
VOLUME: 6 ISSUE: 2
Author(s):S.R. Manohara, Subhranshu S. Samal and G.E. Rudreshappa
Affiliation:Department of Physics, Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumakuru -572 103, Karnataka, India.
Keywords:Carbon nanotube, polymer, nanocomposite, humidity, sensing properties.
Abstract:Effect of humidity on the sensing properties of flexible nanocomposite
thin films, such as variation of resistance with RH, hysteresis,
response time and recovery time, fabricated using functionalized multiwalled
carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNT) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have
been investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy,
and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize f-MWCNT-PVA nanocomposite thin films. The nanocomposite film with 5
wt% MWNTs loading shows promising results for humidity detection in
relative humidity (RH) range of 11-94% RH. The resistance measured at
25 °C varied by more than four orders of magnitude in this RH range.
This kind of nanocomposite film has many advantages since it is flexible
and has good mechanical properties. Also a possible humidity-sensing mechanism of the
MWCNTs/PVA composite thin film is discussed.
