High Performance Humidity Sensor Based on Electrospun Zr_0.9Mg_0.1O_2?δ Nanofibers

Zr_0.9Mg_0.1O_2?δ nanofibers and ZrO₂ nanofibers are synthesized using electrospinning and the calcination technique. The nanofibers are characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface analyzer. The humidity sensing properties of Zr_0.9Mg_0.1O_2?δ nanofiber sensors are analyzed and compared with those of ZrO₂ nanofiber sensors. The Zr_0.9Mg_0.1O_2?δ nanofiber humidity sensors exhibit a broader humidity range of 11–97% relative humidity (RH), good linearity, small humidity hysteresis, and rapid response and recovery times. The complex impedance plots of the Zr_0.9Mg_0.1O_2?δ sensor at different RHs are drawn, and the humidity sensing mechanism is discussed via an equivalent circuit.