Nanostructure characterization and performance evaluation of perovskite sensor composed of multi-elements

A multi-element perovskite nanoscale film composed of Li+ cation incorporated into Ca2+-doped PbTiO3 (LCPT) was derived via colloidal chemistry, sol–gel (SG) method followed by heat-treatment. The morphology, chemical composition and structure of the LCPT nanofilms were investigated by advanced instrumentation (microscopy and spectroscopy) techniques. The characterization indicates formation of a tetragonal crystalline ceramic after sintering. The humidity sensing performances of LCPT nanofilms with various formulations were evaluated as a function of lattice distortion. The LCPT sensor doped with Li (0.5–0.1 mol%) possessed the distortion of 1.041–1.046 and displayed rapid sensitivity (current changes from 1.5 × 10−3 to 5.2 A), high linearity (R2 = 0.997) in the whole relative humidity range (φ: 8–93% RH) under low frequency of 100 Hz, and excellent long-term stability.