Thin film based sensors for a continuous monitoring of hydrogen concentrations

Optical hydrogen sensing with nanoparticulate Pd–Au films produced by spark ablation

“…The extent to which the ␣-␤ transition and the associated hysteresis is reduced, depends on the type and amount of the alloying element in the Pd. For example, 20 at.% Au or 10 at.% Ta in pure Pd (i.e., 80-20 at.% Pd-Au and 90-10 at.% Pd-Ta alloys, respectively) have been shown to suppress the phase transition and hysteresis to a large extent [20]. Interestingly, the suppression of the phase transition is also associated with a significant reduction of the optical contrast of the films, which makes them more attractive for use in sensors.…”

Engineering of the band gap and optical properties of thin films of yttrium hydride

“…Since the discovery of its switchable optical properties in 1996, 1 study of rare-earth metal hydride films have emerged as an interesting research topic, with potential applications in smart windows, 2,3 hydrogen sensors, 4 and solar collectors. 5,6 The driving force for the effect was the switching induced by hydrogen uptake in the films, and the films were capped by a thin layer of Pd in order to speed up this reaction.…”

Metal hydrides for smart window and sensor applications

“…Since, in general, the optical contrast decreases with the increasing concentration of alloying elements, a compromise has to be sought, which has been found in Pd-Au and Pd-Ta alloys. 37 The attainable pressure range of these materials, however, is limited. Hence, Slaman et al 38 introduced a detector in which Pd only serves to catalyze the dissociation/association of hydrogen and simultaneously serves as a fi lter for selective absorption by the underlying metal ( Figure 4 ).…”