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. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.