Humidity sensing properties of the hydrothermally synthesized WS2-modified SnO2 hybrid nanocomposite

WS2-modified SnO2 hybrid nanocomposite was synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The morphology and structure characterization revealed that the SnO2 nanocrystals were anchored to the WS2 nanosheets in the homogeneous nanocomposites. The resistive humidity sensors based as-prepared nanocomposites, pure WS2 nanosheets and pure SnO2 microspheres were fabricated and tested in a humidity range of 11-95% RH at 25 degrees C. The humidity sensing properties of the nanocomposites manifested a good and stable humidity sensing. The response of the hybrid nanocomposite in air with 95% RH was found to be 8.5 and 862.8 times higher than that of pure SnO2 microspheres and WS2 nanosheets, respectively. The synergistic effect between WS2 and SnO2 played an important role in improving the humidity sensing performance of the hybrid nanocomposites. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.