Flexible photoluminescent humidity sensing material based on electrospun PVA nanofibers comprising surface-carboxylated QDs

Flexible humidity-sensitive materials have drawn increasing attention due to their vital function in monitoring ambient humidity for tactile sensors, allowing them to approach the functionality of human skin. In this work, an electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based nanofiber film comprising surface-carboxylated CdSe/CdxZn1-xS quantum dots (QDs) is fabricated as a high-performance flexible humidity sensing material, based on the relationship between its photoluminescence (PL) and the humidity. The as-prepared film shows excellent PL-humidity linearity, a wide sensing range from 10% to 90% relative humidity, a relatively fast response time, good recoverability, and flexibility. The humidity sensing mechanism can be attributed to the breaking and reforming of hydrogen bonds and proton transfer occurring at the PVA-QD interfaces. This flexible humidity-sensitive material is believed to be a good candidate for humidity-sensitive components in electronic skin.