4th Physics Institute and Research Center SCoPE, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
ACS Sens. 2020 Apr 24;5(4):978-983. doi: 10.1021/acssensors.9b02314. Epub 2020 Feb 24.
Due to the changing global climate, the role of renewable energy sources is of increasing importance. Hydrogen can play an important role as an energy carrier in the transition from fossil fuels. However, to ensure safe operations, a highly reliable and sensitive hydrogen sensor is required for leakage detection. We present a sensor design with purely optical readout that reliably operates between 50 and 100,000 ppm. The building block of the sensor is a reactive sample that consists of a layered structure with palladium nanodisks as the top layer and changes its optical properties depending on the external hydrogen partial pressure. We use a fiber-coupled setup consisting of an LED, a sensor body containing the reactive sample, and a photodiode to probe and read out the reflectance of the sample. This allows separation of the explosive detection area from the operating electronics and thus comes with an inherent protection against hydrogen ignition by electronic malfunctions. Our results prove that this sensor design provides a large detection range, fast response times, and enhanced robustness against aging compared to conventional thin-film technologies. Especially, the simplicity, feasibility, and scalability of the presented approach yield a holistic approach for industrial hydrogen monitoring.
由于全球气候不断变化，可再生能源的作用变得越来越重要。氢气作为从化石燃料向可再生能源过渡的一种能源载体，可以发挥重要作用。然而，为了确保安全运行，需要一种高度可靠和灵敏的氢气传感器来进行泄漏检测。我们提出了一种具有纯光学读出功能的传感器设计，可在 50 至 100000ppm 之间可靠运行。该传感器的构建模块是一个反应性样品，它由一个具有钯纳米盘作为顶层的层状结构组成，其光学性质会根据外部氢气分压的变化而变化。我们使用一种光纤耦合装置，其中包括一个 LED、一个包含反应性样品的传感器主体和一个光电二极管，用于探测和读取样品的反射率。这使得爆炸检测区域与工作电子设备分离，从而具有固有防爆功能，防止因电子故障而引发氢气点火。我们的研究结果证明，与传统的薄膜技术相比，这种传感器设计具有较大的检测范围、快速的响应时间和增强的抗老化能力。特别是，所提出方法的简单性、可行性和可扩展性为工业氢气监测提供了一种整体方法。
