Sensing properties of assembled Bi2S3 nanowire arrays

Bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) nanowires were grown in porous aluminium oxide template and a selective chemical etching was applied to transfer the nanowires to a solution. Well aligned nanowire arrays were assembled on pre-patterned silicon substrates employing dielectrophoresis. Electron beam lithography was used to connect aligned individual nanowires to the common macroelectrode. In order to evaluate the conductometric sensing performance of the Bi₂S₃ nanowires, current-voltage characteristics were measured at different relative humidity (RH) levels (5-80%) / argon medium. The response of the Bi₂S₃ nanowires depending of RH is found to be considerably different from those reported for other types of nanowire RH sensor devices.