Humidity Sensitivity of Hybrid Polyelectrolytes Prepared by the Sol-Gel Process

Thin-film humidity sensors were prepared using inorganic/organic hybrid polyelectrolytes, which were prepared from the sol-gel reaction of copolymers of [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethylpropylammonium bromide (MEPAB), n-butyl methacrylate (BMA), and 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TSPM) with tetraethyl ortho-silicate (TEOS). The humidity-sensitive polyelectrolytes were composed of the copolymers having the following mole ratios of MEPAB, BMA, and TSPM: 60/30/10, 55/30/15, and 50/30/20. We found that the impedance varied with the content of MEPAB or TEOS; it ranged from $10^{7} to 10^{3}\Omega$ between 20 and $95\%$ relative humidity, which is the range required for a humidity sensor operating at ambient humidity. In addition we investigated a number of characteristics of these humidity sensors, such as their hysteresis, response time, temperature dependence, frequency dependence, water durability, and long-term stability.