A Humidity Sensor Based on Bacterial Nanocellulose Membrane (BNC)

• Published in: IEEE sensors journal Vol. 23; no. 4; p. 1
• Main Authors: Ginja, Gabriel Augusto, Da Costa, Joao Paulo de Campos, Gounella, Rodrigo Henrique, Izquierdo, Jose Enrique Eirez, Carmo, Joao Paulo, Fonseca, Fernando Josepetti, Cavallari, Marco Roberto, Ando, Oswaldo Hideo, De Souza, Samara Silva
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 15.02.2023; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: <italic xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">Fermentation; <italic xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">Komagataeibacter xylinus; Bacterial Nanocellulose (BNC); Biomaterials; Biomembranes; Capacitance; Electrical properties; Humidity; Membranes; Microorganisms; Moisture content; Relative humidity; Sensors; Temperature measurement; Temperature sensors
• ISSN: 1530-437X; 1558-1748
• DOI: 10.1109/JSEN.2023.3234222

This paper presents the development of a humidity sensor based on bacterial nanocellulose membrane (BNC) produced from Komagataeibacter xylinus . BNC has a porous surface that absorbs water and therefore it changes the mechanical and electrical properties of the membrane. As the amount of water inside the membrane increases the capacitance of the membrane also increases. The capacitance of the BNC was measured in different values of temperature (from 30° to 100°) and relative humidity (from 30% to 100%). Chronoamperometry was used as a reproducibility test and the result was a linear and more precise variation for RH over 50% and a temperature of 30°. The measurements showed a combined sensitivity of -4.13nF/°C with relation to the temperature, and +492nF/(%RH) and +66.8nA/(%RH) with relation to the relative humidity.