Humidity sensing by nanocomposites of silver in silicate glass ceramics

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles of diameters in the range 3.4 to 13.2 nm were grown within a silicate glass ceramics containing barium titanate phase. The glass ceramics were filled with silver particles by subjecting the former to a Na+–Ag+ ion exchange process followed by a reduction treatment in hydrogen. Silver particles were formed at the interfaces of the silicate glass and the barium titanate phases, respectively. The silver particle sizes could be varied by controlling the fractal structure of the crystalline phase by prior heat treatment. Electrical resistivity measurements were carried out on cold-pressed specimens of nanocomposite powders prepared as just stated. A five order of magnitude resistivity change was recorded in the case of nanocomposite specimen with a silver particle diameter of 10.1 nm in the relative humidity range of 25% to 85%. The resistivity of the nanocomposites was found to be controlled by a variable range hopping conduction. It is believed that the silver nanoparticles provide sites where physisorption of water molecules takes place which increases the number of localized states near the Fermi level.