パラジウムの水素吸蔵時の発熱反応を利用した水素ガスセンサの検討

概要

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We have proposed a novel micro-calorimetric hydrogen sensor based on the temperature difference detection due to the exothermic reaction caused by hydrogen absorption in the palladium (Pd) thin film as a hydrogen absorbing material, and demonstrated using the prototype hydrogen sensor with a microheater and a pair of cantilever SOI thermocouples that this H2 sensor by this proposed mechanism is surely possible. We have ascertained that the sensor output voltage is increased as the H2 concentration is increased, that the exothermic reaction ceases after finish of the hydrogen absorption, the exothermic reaction by hydrogen absorption occurs even in pure N2 gas, that larger output voltage is observed for lower ambient temperature even under no oxygen gas, and that this hydrogen sensor does not respond to the CH4 gas. We have found that the detection of H2 concentration based on the exothermic reaction is preferred to carried out after heating the sensing region rather than during heating it especially in lower H2 concentration than about 5 vol.%, because we can use the null method to detect the extremely low H2 concentration.