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One step hydrothermal synthesis of Fe2O3/KIT-6 nanocomposite as highly responsive humidity sensor

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Abstract

This study presents a novel approach for the one-step hydrothermal synthesis of Fe2O3/KIT-6 (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) nanocomposite, demonstrating its remarkable potential as a humidity sensor at room temperature. The nanocomposite, comprised of hydrothermally derived hematite-doped hybrid moieties within a mesostructured siliceous matrix, exhibits outstanding sensitivity to moisture. Through a comprehensive characterization utilizing various techniques including X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, the ordered mesoporous structure and purity of the synthesized nanocomposite are confirmed. Notably, the incorporation of 5 wt% Fe2O3 into the KIT-6 framework via hydrothermal synthesis yields superior sensing properties, characterized by minimal hysteresis, rapid response and recovery times (14s/15s), and exceptional stability within a wide relative humidity (RH) range of 11-98%. These findings pave the way for the development of practical moisture detection devices employing the silica-hematite hybrid nanocomposite as a sensing material in resistive-type sensor configurations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Sensors Lab, Department of Physics, D.C.R. University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Haryana, 131039, India

    Shivani Jakhar, Priya Malik, Supriya Sehrawat, Aryan Boora, Bhavna Rohilla & Surender Duhan

  2. Inorganic Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, D. C. R. University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Haryana, 131039, India

    Shivani Jakhar & Sonia Nain

  3. Department of Chemistry, Government College, Birohar, Jhajjar, Haryana, India

    Shivani Jakhar

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  1. Shivani Jakhar
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  2. Priya Malik
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Contributions

Shivani Jakhar and Priya Malik: Methodology, Formal analysis Supriya Sehrawat and Aryan Boora: Investigation, Data curation, Bhavna Rohilla: Conceptualization, Writing- original draft. Surender Duhan and Sonia Nain: Writing-review & editing, Supervision. This version of the article has been well read and agreed by the authors.

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Correspondence to Surender Duhan.

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Jakhar, S., Malik, P., Sehrawat, S. et al. One step hydrothermal synthesis of Fe2O3/KIT-6 nanocomposite as highly responsive humidity sensor. J Porous Mater (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10934-024-01628-2

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