Humidity sensitive behavior of Fe(NO3)3-loaded mesoporous silica MCM-41

Five samples of mesoporous silica MCM-41 have been synthesized by a simple chemical (sol–gel) method and have been loaded by different levels of Fe(NO3)3 these samples have been examined as humidity sensing materials at room temperature. Humidity sensor has been fabricated from Fe-loaded-MCM-41 by screen-printing on the alumina substrate with Ag–Pd interdigital electrodes. The sample 0.03 wt% Fe(NO3)3-loaded MCM-41 shows excellent linearity in the whole relative humidity (RH) range of 11–95%. These samples have been characterized using XRD, FT-IR, SEM and TEM techniques. The Fe(NO3)3-loaded MCM-41 (3%) is promising candidate in humidity sensors.