This paper presents a hydrogen sensor based on palladium-yttrium (Pd-Y) alloy nanosheet. Zigzag-shaped Pd-Y nanosheet with a thickness of 19.3 nm was deposited on a quartz substrate by using an ultrahigh-vacuum magnetron sputtering system and shadow mask. The ratio of palladium to yttrium in the nanosheet was 0.92/0.08. The fabrication process was simple and low-cost, and the sensor can be mass-produced. The experimental results show the sensor has a superior sensitivity, reversibility, and reproducibility. The resistive-based hydrogen detection mechanism in this research is much simpler and more compact compared to the optical-based detection method. Highlights  Pd-Y sensing element was fabricated using a magnetron sputtering system and shadow mask.  The Pd-Y compound consisted of 92% Pd and 8% Y.  The fabrication process was simple, low-cost, and mass-production compatible.  The sensor showed superior sensitivity, reversibility, and reproducibility to hydrogen gas.  The device is more compact than the optical-based counterpart.

In this study, we developed a hydrogen sensor based on a palladium microfiber network on a paper substrate. A 60-nm pure palladium film was deposited on photocopy paper using a vacuum evaporation technique. The photocopy paper was employed as the sensor substrate because of its low cost and the simple and rapid fabrication process. The texture of the microfiber network on the paper greatly increased the surface area to volume ratio for the palladium thin film, which is crucial for rapid response sensors. The experimental results showed that the hydrogen sensor exhibited a rapid response and linear gas response characteristics at room temperature and pressure. The gas response of the paper-substrate sensor was much higher compared with the glass substrate.

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