Evaluating Different TiO<sub>2</sub> Nanoflower-Based Composites for Humidity Detection
Musa Mohamed Zahidi,
Mohamad Hafiz Mamat,
Mohd Firdaus Malek,
Muhamad Kamil Yaakob,
Mohd Khairul Ahmad,
Suriani Abu Bakar,
Azmi Mohamed,
A Shamsul Rahimi A Subki,
Mohamad Rusop Mahmood
Affiliations
Musa Mohamed Zahidi
NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), School of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohamad Hafiz Mamat
NANO-ElecTronic Centre (NET), School of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohd Firdaus Malek
NANO-SciTech Lab (NST), Centre for Functional Materials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Science (IOS), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Selangor, Malaysia
Muhamad Kamil Yaakob
NANO-SciTech Lab (NST), Centre for Functional Materials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Science (IOS), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohd Khairul Ahmad
Microelectronic and Nanotechnology–Shamsuddin Research Centre, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat 86400, Johor, Malaysia
Suriani Abu Bakar
Nanotechnology Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim 35900, Perak, Malaysia
Azmi Mohamed
Nanotechnology Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim 35900, Perak, Malaysia
A Shamsul Rahimi A Subki
Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, Durian Tunggal 76100, Melaka, Malaysia
Mohamad Rusop Mahmood
NANO-SciTech Lab (NST), Centre for Functional Materials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Science (IOS), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam 40450, Selangor, Malaysia
Unique three-dimensional (3D) titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoflowers (TFNA) have shown great potential for humidity sensing applications, due to their large surface area-to-volume ratio and high hydrophilicity. The formation of a composite with other materials could further enhance the performance of this material. In this work, the effect of different types of composites on the performance of a TNFA-based humidity sensor was examined. NiO, ZnO, rGO, and PVDF have been explored as possible composite pairing candidates with TiO2 nanoflowers, which were prepared via a modified solution immersion method. The properties of the composites were examined using field emission electron spectroscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), current-voltage (I-V) analysis, Hall effect measurement, and contact angle measurement. The performance of the humidity sensor was assessed using a humidity sensor measurement system inside a humidity-controlled chamber. Based on the result, the combination of TiO2 with rGO produced the highest sensor response at 39,590%. The achievement is attributed to the increase in the electrical conductivity, hydrophilicity, and specific surface area of the composite.
