Humidity sensitivity of metal ferrite nanoparticles [MFe 2 O 4 , M (II) ¼ Co, Cu, Mg, Ni and Zn] prepared by solid-state reaction of inorganic precursors was studied. The process was convenient, environmentally-friendly, inexpensive and efficient. The spinel structure of the compounds prepared by this method was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR studies. The surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the surface area was analysed by the nitrogen adsorption/desorption study by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. All the samples were subjected to dc electrical conductivity studies at room temperature. The resistance measurements as a function of relative humidity in the range of 5-98% and the sensitivity factor (S f ¼ R 5% / R 98% ) were calculated. Among all the metal ferrites, zinc ferrite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ) possessed the highest humidity sensitivity factor of 2895 � 85, whereas the other compounds possessed a very low sensitivity factor. The response and recovery times of ZnFe 2 O 4 were 330 and 80 s.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.