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

Abstract

A high-performance H2 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, H2 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 H2 concentration emitted from the specimen enriched by H2 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, N2, O2 and Ar) by real time measurement.