Modification of mesoporous SBA-16 with cobalt doping for outstanding humidity sensor at room temperature

The hydrothermal method was used to synthesize SBA-16, which was subsequently doped with different concentrations of cobalt ions. The prepared materials were characterized using SAXS, WAXRD, FESEM-EDX, HRTEM and BET techniques. The outcomes indicated the effective integration of cobalt ions into the structure of SBA-16, exhibiting the 3D cubic mesoporous morphology of SBA-16 and its significant specific surface area of 810 m2/g. The elemental composition of synthesized materials was validated by EDX, and BET surface area findings demonstrated that the surface area of the host material reduces on increasing the concentration of cobalt. The structure of Co-SBA-16 consists of interconnected mesopores that provide a large surface to volume ratios, which makes it ideal for humidity sensing due to enhanced surface area. The sensor based on (6%Co)-SBA-16, showed an impressive resistance change of 4.2 orders of magnitude with a quick response/recovery time of 43 s/25 s at room temperature (25 °C). This work has shown promising potential of Co-SBA-16 based sensor as an easy, effective and rapid response sensing material for humidity sensing.