Highly Sensitive H<sub>2</sub> Sensors Based on Pd- and PdO-Decorated TiO<sub>2</sub> Thin Films at Low-Temperature Operation

Abstract

Abstract In this work, the low-temperature H2-sensing properties of palladium (Pd) and palladium oxide (PdO) nanoparticles decorated titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film were studied. The TiO2 thin films were prepared by the dc reactive magnetron sputtering. The Pd and PdO nanoparticles were sputtered on the top surface of TiO2 surface in order to enhance the sensitivity to the H2 gas. Morphologies, crystal structures, and chemical element of the examiner samples were investigated by the field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), grazing-incident X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The effects of the Pd and PdO nanoparticles on H2-sensing performance of TiO2 were investigated over a low concentration range of 150-3,000 ppm H2 at 50-250°C-operating temperatures. This result exhibited that the PdO decorated on TiO2 surface showed very high response to H2 at a low operating temperature of 150°C.