Inkjet-printed MoS2/PVP hybrid nanocomposite for enhanced humidity sensing

An inkjet-printed humidity sensor based on molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) mixed with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) has been demonstrated in this work. MoS2/PVP ink was produced via a liquid-phase ultrasonic exfoliation, and then deposited on predifined interdigitated copper electrodes by inkjet printing to fabricate humidity sensors. The structure, composition, and morphology characterizations revealed that the MoS2/PVP hybrid nanocomposite was doposited on copper electrode homogeneously. Hydrophilic property of MoS2/PVP film was identified by contact angle measurement. The humidity sensing properties of MoS2/PVP film revealed a high sensitivity, ultrafast response/recovery behavior and good reproducibility. Moreover, the MoS2/PVP humidity sensor could be used to monitor the human respiratory rate. The enhanced humidity sensing performance was due to the synergistic effect between MoS2 and PVP. This work opens new opportunities for the large-scale fabrication of flexible MoS2-based humidity sensor towards various applications. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.