Humidity Sensors, Major Types and Applications

Abstract

The need for humidity sensors in various fields have led to the development and fabrication of sensors for use in industries such as the medical, textile, and laboratories. This chapter reviewed humidity sensors, major types and applications with emphasis on the optical fiber, nanobricks, capacitive, resistive, piezoresistive and magnetoelastic humidity sensors. While optical fiber sensors are best for use in harsh weather conditions, the nanobricks sensors have excellent qualities in humidity sensing. Capacitive sensors make use of impedance and are more durable than the equivalent resistive sensors fabricated with ceramic or organic polymer materials and have short response and recovery times which attest to their efficiency. Piezoresistive sensors have fast response time, highly sensitive and can detect target material up to one pictogram range. Magnetoelastic sensors are very good and can measure moisture, temperature and humidity between 5% and 95% relative humidity range. It was concluded that sensors have peculiar applications.