Humidity sensing properties of ZnO colloid crystals coated on quartz crystal microbalance by the self-assembly method

ZnO colloid crystals were coated on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) by the self-assembly method. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the morphology and crystal structure of ZnO colloid crystals. The sensing behavior was examined by measuring the resonance frequency shifts of QCM. The device exhibits excellent humidity sensing properties in the whole humidity range from 11% to 95%, such as good linearity, fast response time and recovery time, excellent reliability, and long-term stability. We also discussed the adsorption and desorption of water molecules on ZnO colloid crystals at different humidity conditions.