Centimeters-long SiC nanowire could be a strong "bridge" between microworld and macroworld due to its unique morphology, excellent chemical stability, and intriguing physical properties. Here we present a novel "paperlike" material-free-standing SiC nanopaper fabricated by acetone-assisted compression of centimeters-long SiC nanowires. The resistance of this new paperlike material linearly increases with increasing environmental relative humidity in a very short time. We suggest that adsorption of water molecules on SiC nanopaper surface led to fast electron transfer between SiC nanopaper and water layer, which indicates that SiC nanopaper could be applied to high-performance humidity sensor in harsh environment.
Keywords: SiC nanowires; humidity sensor; nanopaper; sensing mechanism.