In the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) society, there is a significant need for low-cost, high-performance flexible humidity sensors in wearable devices. However, commercially available humidity sensors lack flexibility or require expensive and complex fabrication methods, limiting their application and widespread use. We report a high-performance printed flexible humidity sensor using a cellulose nanofiber/carbon black (CNF/CB) composite. The cellulose nanofiber enables excellent dispersion of carbon black, which facilitates the ink preparation and printing process. At the same time, its hydrophilic and porous nature provides high sensitivity and fast response to humidity. Significant resistance changes of 120% were observed in the sensor at humidity ranging from 30% RH to 90% RH, with a fast response time of 10 s and a recovery time of 6 s. Furthermore, the developed sensor also exhibited high-performance uniformity, response stability, and flexibility. A simple humidity detection device was fabricated and successfully applied to monitor human respiration and noncontact fingertip moisture as a proof-of-concept.
Keywords: cellulose nanofiber; fast response; flexible humidity sensor; noncontact sensing; wearable device.