High-performance hydrogen gas sensor system based on transparent coaxial cylinder capacitive electrodes and a volumetric analysis technique.

A high-performance H gas sensor system based on capacitive electrodes and a volumetric analysis technique were developed. Coaxial capacitive electrodes were fabricated by placing a thin copper rod in the center and by adhering a transparent conductive film on the exterior surface of a graduated cylinder. Thus, H from a polymer specimen lowered the water level in the cylinder between the two electrodes, producing measurable changes in capacitance that allowed for the measurement of the H concentration emitted from the specimen enriched by H under high-pressure conditions. The sensing system detected diffused/permeated hydrogen gas from a specimen and hydrogen gas leaks caused by imperfect sealing. The hydrogen gas sensor responded almost instantly at 1 s and measured hydrogen concentrations ranging from 0.15 to 1500 ppm with controllable sensitivity and a measurable range. In addition, performance tests with polymer specimens used in hydrogen infrastructure verified that the sensor system was reliable; additionally, it had a broad measurement range to four decimal places. The sensor system developed in this study could be applied to detect and characterize pure gases (He, N, O and Ar) by real time measurement.