Self-Powered, Highly Sensitive, and Flexible Humidity Sensor Based on Carboxymethyl Cellulose for Multifunctional Applications

Self-powered humidity sensors based on friction electric and piezoelectric principles have been proposed in recent years. However, the complicated structure and preparation processes usually involved in these power generation humidity sensors limit their wider application. Herein, we developed a self-powered flexible humidity sensor with a simple structure and facile preparation process based on the primary battery principle. The self-powered humidity sensor consists of copper conductive tape as the positive electrode, nickel conductive tape as the negative electrode, and a carboxymethyl cellulose film dissolved with lithium chloride and sodium chloride as the sensing layer. The sensor exhibits good sensing linearity (R2 = 0.99791) in a wide relative humidity range (11-95%) with a satisfying response voltage of 41 mV (RH 95%) and excellent flexibility. Furthermore, the conduction mechanism of the sensing film was investigated by the complex impedance and phase angle-frequency spectral measurement and analysis. Multifunctional applications of human respiration monitoring to determine the respiratory rate and type, noncontact sensing, diaper and soil moisture detection, and power generation were demonstrated. The low-cost and facile preparation method in this work could provide a useful strategy for developing a self-powered, flexible, and multifunctional humidity sensor.