Humidity sensing properties of single Au-decorated boron nitride nanotubes

In this communication, the humidity sensing properties of single boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) with and without Au decoration have been investigated. The current–voltage measurement shows that the decoration of Au nanoparticles on the surface of BNNTs effectively improves the conductance. The resistance of single BNNT and Au-BNNT decreases slowly at the low relative humidity (RH) from 20% to 50%; but decreases fastly at the high RH from 50% to 90%. Moreover, the adsorption and desorption tests indicate that the Au-decorated boron nitride nanotube (Au-BNNT) has a fast and sensitive response and recovery to RH at room temperature. The good humidity-sensing properties of the Au-BNNT combined with its excellent chemical stability, make it a promising candidate for the fast detection of humidity in various wild environments.

► Single BNNT-based sensing units can be assembled under an optical microscope.
► The humidity sensing property of single BNNT and Au-BNNT was investigated.
► The introduction of Au can improve the response time of BNNTs to relative humidity.