Compliant and low-cost humidity nanosensors using nanoporous polymer membranes

This paper proposes non-fragile compliant humidity nanosensors that can be fabricated inexpensively on various types of nanoporous polymer membranes such as polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, and nylon membranes. The nanosensor contains a pair of interdigitated electrodes deposited on the nanoporous polymer membranes. The resistance and/or capacitance between these electrodes vary at different humidity levels with a very high sensitivity due to the water adsorption (capillary condensation) inside the nanopores. The proposed sensors are low-cost in both material and fabrication. Due to its compliance, the sensors can be suitable for certain applications such as in situ water leakage detection o h r d h n r ©