In a new study, researchers have created the fastest hydrogen sensor in the world for clean hydrogen energy in the future.
This is the first hydrogen sensors developed to meet the future performance need in hydrogen-powered cars.
The research was conducted by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.
Hydrogen is a clean and renewable energy carrier that can power vehicles. The energy is super clean because water is the only emission.
However, hydrogen gas is highly flammable when mixed with air, and it is necessary to use very efficient and effective hydrogen sensors.
In the current study, the team developed an optical nanosensor encapsulated in a plastic material.
The sensor works based on an optical phenomenon plasmon that occurs when metal nanoparticles are illuminated and capture visible light.
The sensor can change color when hydrogen in the environment changes.
The plastic around the tiny sensor can increase the sensor’s response time.
It also acts as an effective barrier to the environment, preventing any other molecules from entering and deactivating the sensor.
The team suggests that the sensor can detect 0.1% hydrogen in the air in less than a second.
Because it can work efficiently and undisturbed, it can be used in the automotive industry.
The sensor can also be applied to other industries, such as the electricity network industry, the chemical and nuclear power industry, and the medical industry.
In the future, the team hopes that the sensor can be manufactured in an efficient manner, such as 3D printer technology. In that way, the cost will be lower, which make it easier to use.
The lead author of the study is Ferry Nugroho, a researcher at the Department of Physics at Chalmers.
The study is published in Nature Materials.
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