Plasmonic Hydrogen Sensors

Abstract

Hydrogen is regarded as the ultimate fuel and energy carrier with a high theoretical energy density and universality of sourcing. However, hydrogen is easy to leak and has a wide flammability range in air. For safely handling hydrogen, robust sensors are in high demand. Plasmonic hydrogen sensors (PHS) are attracting growing interest due to the advantages of high sensitivity, fast response speed, miniaturization, and high‐degree of integration, etc. In this review, the mechanism and recent development (mainly after the year 2015) of hydrogen sensors based on plasmonic nanostructures are presented. The working principle of PHS is introduced. The sensing properties and the effects of resonance mode, configuration, material, and structure of the plasmonic nanostructures on the sensing performances are discussed. The merit and demerit of different types of plasmonic nanostructures are summarized and potential development directions are proposed. The aim of this review is not only to clarify the current strategies for PHS, but also to give a comprehensive understanding of the working principle of PHS, which may inspire more ingenious designs and execution of plasmonics for advanced hydrogen sensors.

Recent Advances in Optical Hydrogen Sensor including Use of Metal and Metal Alloys: A Review

“…More recently, the potential of plasmonic for sensitivity enhancement of hydrogen sensors has been exploited [126][127][128]. Metal and metal-alloy play key roles in the plasmonic nature of the optical field [129].…”

“…Since 2018, the Pd/Au alloy composition has attracted huge attention due to its ability to eliminate the hysteresis effect, enhance the sensitivity, and improve the response time [127,141,155,156]. Cao et al reported a D-shaped fiber coated with PdAu alloy nanostructures as shown in Figure 15 [77].…”

A dual-band hydrogen sensor based on Tamm plasmon polaritons

“…When exposed to hydrogen gas, the surface of Pd metal adsorbs hydrogen molecules and decomposes them into hydrogen atoms. 42,43 Subsequently, these hydrogen atoms enter the interior of the Pd lattice, causing its expansion and forming PdH, thus changing the optical properties of Pd. 44,45 The optical properties of Pd to PdH can be calculated using the data on the refractive index (n) and extinction coefficient (k) of PdH after hydrogenation in ref.…”

Gasochromic Hydrogen Sensors: Fundamentals, Recent Advances, and Perspectives

“…Ai et al reviewed hydrogen sensors based on plasmonic mechanism. (26) Wang et al reviewed fiber optical hydrogen sensors. (27) Chen et al reviewed optical hydrogen sensors derived from metal hydrides.…”