Water Molecule-Triggered Anisotropic Deformation of Carbon Nitride Nanoribbons Enabling Contactless Respiratory Inspection

The exploitation of the interaction between nanostructured matter and small molecules,such as H_(2)O at interfaces via dynamic hydrogen bonding,is essentially the key for smart,responsive nanodevices but remains challenging.Herein,the authors report that the carbon nitride nanoribbons(CNNRs)with an anisotropic intraplanar and interplanar molecular arrangement underwent a deformation by H_(2)O triggering.Both experiments of bulk samples and single nanoribbons disclosed that the reversible formation of a hydrogen-bonded H_(2)O adsorption layer was the source of the CNNRs deformation,reminiscent of the hydration-triggered twist of natural bean pods in seeding.Nonetheless,CNNRs had a more balanced H_(2)O affinity,enabling a superior response and recovery time.By coupling with carbon nanotubes,the authors also converted the deformation of CNNRs into more straightforward electrical readouts with record-fast response time.Further applied to capture fluctuations in humidity in real-time respiration,a higher detection sensitivity was obtained in a contactless mode,which compared favorably with the clinical breath-testing station.Given the carbon nitride family with various C/N ratios,surface properties,and topography,this finding that CNNRs are an outstanding H_(2)O transducer would significantly pave the way for the H_(2)O-triggered smart devices in broad prospective applications.