Water Vapor Condensation in Nanoparticle Films: Physicochemical Analysis and Application to Rapid Vapor Sensing

Nanomaterial-based humidity sensors hold great promise for water vapor detection because of their high sensitivity and fast response/recovery. However, the condensation of water in nanomaterial films remains unclear from a physicochemical perspective. Herein, the condensation of water vapor in silic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosensors 2023-11, Vol.11 (11), p.564
Main Authors: Kano, Shinya, Kawakita, Jin, Yamashita, Shohei, Mekaru, Harutaka
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption spectroscopy
Analysis
Atomic absorption spectroscopy
capillary condensation
Chemical properties
Colorimetry
Condensation
Contact angle
Dielectric films
Humidity
humidity sensor
impedance
Infrared absorption
infrared absorption spectroscopy
Infrared spectroscopy
Interference fringes
Kelvin equation
Low conductivity
Mechanical properties
Methods
Morphology
Nanomaterials
Nanoparticles
Nanotechnology
Pore size
Portable equipment
Quartz crystal microbalance
Quartz crystals
Recovery
Sensors
Silica
Soft x rays
Spectrum analysis
Surface chemistry
Thin films
Water chemistry
Water vapor
X ray absorption
X-ray absorption spectroscopy
X-ray spectroscopy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Nanomaterial-based humidity sensors hold great promise for water vapor detection because of their high sensitivity and fast response/recovery. However, the condensation of water in nanomaterial films remains unclear from a physicochemical perspective. Herein, the condensation of water vapor in silica nanoparticle films was physicochemically analyzed to bridge the abovementioned gap. The morphology of surface-adsorbed water molecules was characterized using infrared absorption spectroscopy and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and the effect of RH on the amount of adsorbed water was observed using a quartz crystal microbalance. The adsorbed water was found to exist in liquid- and ice-like states, which contributed to high and low conductivity, respectively. The large change in film impedance above 80% RH was ascribed to the condensation of water between the nanoparticles. Moreover, RH alteration resulted in a colorimetric change in the film’s interference fringe. The obtained insights were used to construct a portable device with response and recovery times suitable for the real-time monitoring of water vapor. Thus, this study clarifies the structure of water adsorbed on nanomaterial surfaces and, hence, the action mechanism of the corresponding nanoparticle-based sensors, inspiring further research on the application of various nanomaterials to vapor sensing.
ISSN:2227-9040
2227-9040
DOI:10.3390/chemosensors11110564