Hydrogen sensors are of increasing importance in connection with the development and expanded use of hydrogen gas as an energy carrier and as a chemical reactant. There are an immense number of sensors reported in the literature for hydrogen detection and in this work these sensors are classified into eight different operating principles. Characteristic performance parameters of these sensor types, such as measuring range, sensitivity, selectivity and response time are reviewed and the latest technology developments are reported. Testing and validation of sensor performance are described in relation to standardisation and use in potentially explosive atmospheres so as to identify the requirements on hydrogen sensors for practical applications.

Hydrogen Sensors - A review

http://nathan.instras.com/MyDocsDB/doc-617.pdf

Electrochromic organic and polymeric materials for display applications

Electrochromics for smart windows: Oxide-based thin films and devices

▪ Abstract Metal-hydrogen (M-H) systems are interesting from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. M-H systems are utilized for energy-storage systems, in sensor applications, and in catalysis. These systems are often exploited as models for studying basic material properties, especially when the size of these systems is small and nonbulk-like contributions become dominant. Surfaces, nanocrystals, vacancy- and dislocation-rich materials, thin films, multilayers, and clusters as systems of major interest are addressed in this review. We show that the hydrogen solubility of M-H systems is strongly affected by the morphology and microstructure of and the stress between regions of different hydrogen concentration. For small-sized systems, surface- or interface-related sites become important and change the overall solubility as well as the phase boundaries of M-H systems. In thin films deposited on stiff substrates, compressive stresses evolve during hydrogen loading because the films are effective...

HYDROGEN IN METALS: Microstructural Aspects

Hydrogen - A sustainable energy carrier

IN many substances, changes in chemical composition, pressure or temperature can induce metal-to-insulator transitions1. Although dramatic changes in optical and electrical properties accompany such transitions, their interpretation is often complicated by attendant changes in crystallographic structure2. Yttrium, lanthanum and the trivalent rare-earth elements form hydrides that also exhibit metal–insulator transitions3–5, but the extreme reactivity and fragility of these materials hinder experimental studies5,6. To overcome these difficulties, we have coated thin films of yttrium and lanthanum with a layer of palladium through which hydrogen can diffuse. Real-time transitions from metallic (YH2 or LaH2) to semiconducting (YH3 or LaH3) behaviour occur in these films during continuous absorption of hydrogen, accompanied by pronounced changes in their optical properties. Although the timescale on which this transition occurs is at present rather slow (a few seconds), there appears to be considerable scope for improvement through the choice of rare-earth element and by adopting electrochemical means for driving the transition. In view of the spectacular changes in optical properties—yttrium hydride, for example, changes from a shiny mirror to a yellow, transparent window—metal hydrides might find important technological applications.

Yttrium and lanthanum hydride films with switchable optical properties

Switchable mirrors1,2,3 made of thin films of the hydrides of yttrium (YHx), lanthanum (LaHx) or rare-earth metals exhibit spectacular changes in their optical properties as x is varied from 0 to 3. For example, α-YHx 2.85 is a yellowish transparent semiconductor. Here we show that this concentration dependence of the optical properties, coupled with the high mobility of hydrogen in metals, offers the possibility of real-time visual observation of hydrogen migration in solids. We explore changes in the optical properties of yttrium films in which hydrogen diffuses laterally owing to a large concentration gradient. The optical transmission profiles along the length of the film vary in such a way as to show that the formation of the various hydride phases is diffusion-controlled. We can also induce electromigration of hydrogen, which diffuses towards the anode when a current flows through the film. Consequently, hydrogen in insulating YH3−δ behaves as a negative ion, in agreement with recent strong-electron-correlation theories4,5. This ability to manipulate the hydrogen distribution (and thus the optical properties) electrically might be useful for practical applications of these switchable mirrors.

Visualization of hydrogen migration in solids using switchable mirrors

As reported earlier, the metal hydride YH{sub x} reveals spectacular switchable optical properties. In this Letter we report on another remarkable property of the hydrogen deficient YH{sub 3{minus}{delta} } trihydride phase. A logarithmic temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity is observed within a large temperature range (20{le}T{le}200 K ) for hydrogen deficiencies 0.01{lt}{delta}{lt}0.15 . This dependence may be related to two dimensional weak localization or Kondo scattering of the conduction electrons. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

/pdf/logarithmic-divergence-of-the-electrical-resistivity-in-the-3tihw8ewqo.pdf

J. N. Huiberts

Papers

Yttrium and lanthanum hydride films with switchable optical properties

Yttrium and lanthanum hydride films with switchable optical properties

Visualization of hydrogen migration in solids using switchable mirrors

Logarithmic divergence of the electrical resistivity in the metal hydride YH3-d.

Towards a metallic YH3 phase at high pressure