Next-generation
gas-sensor technologies are needed for diverse
applications including environmental surveillance, occupational safety,
and industrial process control. However, the dynamic range using existing
sensors is often too narrow to meet demands. In this work, plasmonic
films of Au-CeO2 that detect hydrogen with 0.38% and 60%
lower and upper detection limits in an oxygen-free atmosphere experiment
are demonstrated. The observed 15 nm peak shift was 4 times stronger
versus other plasmonic H2 sensors. The proposed sensing
mechanism that involves H2 dissociation by Auδ+ nanoparticles was validated using XPS, kinetics, and Arrhenius studies.
Our understanding of this remarkable sensing behavior in oxygen-free
conditions opens new horizons for packaging, art conservation, industrial
process control, and other applications where conventional oxygen-dependent
sensors lack broad dynamic range.