Deposition of Vertically Aligned Ag/Ag2S Nanoflakes on EGaIn Particles for Humidity Sensing

Liquid metals, which possess both good electrical conductivity and liquid-like processability, have drawn much attention recently. They are also capable of acting as synthesis templates to guide the deposition of other functional materials. Herein, through an in-situ galvanic replacement reaction assisted by ultrasonication, core-shell EGaIn/Ag particles composed of EGaIn cores and vertically aligned Ag nanoflakes as shells were prepared; they were further sulfurized to yield ternary EGaIn/Ag/Ag2S core-shell composite particles. A humidity sensor based on EGaIn/Ag/Ag2S particles showed much higher sensing response than EGaIn and EGaIn/Ag. Such superior performance could be attributed to the n-type semiconducting character of Ag2S allowing it to receive electrons from water molecules at low humidity, and its highly hydrophilic surface allowing it to absorb more water molecules at higher humidity so as to enable the formation of ion-conductive paths.

Automated summary

Liquid metals, with good electrical conductivity and processability, can serve as synthesis templates for other functional materials. In this study, core-shell EGaIn/Ag/Ag2S composite particles were prepared through an in-situ galvanic replacement reaction, and they exhibited superior sensing response in a humidity sensor. This is attributed to the n-type semiconductor nature of Ag2S and its hydrophilic surface.