All range highly linear and sensitive humidity sensor based on 2D material TiSi2 for real-time monitoring

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Vol. 345; p. 130371
• Main Authors: Shaukat, Rayyan Ali, Khan, Muhammad Umair, Saqib, Qazi Muhammad, Chougale, Mahesh Y., Kim, Jungmin, Bae, Jinho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 15.10.2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: 2D material; Coated electrodes; High impedance; Humidity; Humidity sensor; Monitoring; Real time; Screen printing; Sensitivity; Sensors; Spin coating; Spraying; TiSi2; Titanium; Transient response; Transition metal compounds; Two dimensional materials; Wet grinding; Humidity sensor; Screen printing; Spin-coating; 2D material; TiSi2
• ISSN: 0925-4005; 1873-3077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2021.130371

•A highly sensitive TiSi2 based humidity sensor with all range linear humidity sensing performance was fabricated•The TiSi2 based humidity sensor exhibits fast transient response of 0.9 s and 8 s for impedance and good stability for 360 min.•The proposed TiSi2 based humidity sensor demonstrates the various applications for real time monitoring. Nowadays, two-dimensional (2D) materials with layered structures, known as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), are highly appealing in humidity sensing applications. Herein, the humidity sensor based on the 2D material titanium disillicide (TiSi2) is exploited for the first time with high sensing performances for the continuous monitoring of various human interactive activities such as breath monitoring and contactless skin humidity sensing. It proposes a highly sensitive humidity sensor with excellent all range linear humidity sensing performance through printed technologies. Inter-digital electrodes (IDEs) are fabricated through a screen printing process, and the 2D TiSi2 the active layer is coated on the electrodes through the spin-coating process. Furthermore, the TiSi2 ink is prepared through a wet grinding process to achieve the 2D nano-flakes. The proposed sensor has a decent linear response over an ultra-wide detection range of (0 %–100 %) RH with a fast transient response of 0.9 s and 8 s for impedance while 3 s and 4 s for capacitance. The sensor shows high impedance sensitivity of 63 kΩ / %RH at 1 kHz, having good stability for 360 min. Hence, the fabricated sensor also showed fast response and sensitivity towards various real-time applications such as water spraying test, and real time monitoring. These outstanding performances of the proposed sensor can open new horizons for the variety of humidity sensing applications.