Need for Speed: Integrating the Worlds Fastest Hydrogen Sensor onto a Miniaturized Platform

Abstract

The hydrogen revolution may finally be around the corner, with fuel cell driven vehicles and hydrogen gas turbines to mention just a few examples of applications. With such a transformation comes a need of fast and sensitive hydrogen detection systems. Nanoplasmonic hydrogen sensors have been a studied topic at Chalmers University for over a decade, and offer the fastest hydrogen sensing equipment to date. In order to become commercially attractive, the technology needs to be altered and integrated onto a platform consisting of cheap electronic components. This thesis demonstrates a first such attempt for a miniaturized nanoplasmonic hydrogen sensor, by combining the sensing technology developed at Chalmers, with Insplorion’s low-cost NPS-platform. The optimized device developed here meets the requirements of detection range and accuracy, stated by the U.S. Department of Energy, but exhibits a response time considerably slower than what is required.