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Korea University Develops Power-Free Sensor That Shows Hydrogen Leaks in Real Time

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Press release Official statement Outcome reported
  • A research team led by Korea University developed a sensor that changes color within two seconds when exposed to hydrogen, without electricity or measuring equipment.
  • The sensor combines palladium’s reaction with hydrogen and an optical structure that amplifies the reaction into a visible color change.
  • Tests found it retained more than 90% of its initial performance after at least 30 exposure cycles and 87% to 94% after 60 days in air.

A new sensor can reveal a hydrogen leak in real time even when the power is out: the device changes color as soon as hydrogen reaches it.

A joint team from Korea University, Pohang University of Science and Technology and Kyungpook and Sogang universities developed the sensor, Korea University said on the 8th. The research appeared online on the 1st in Advanced Materials.

Hydrogen has no color or smell, making leaks difficult to detect. Conventional electronic sensors also stop working during power failures. The researchers combined palladium’s reaction with hydrogen and an optical structure that traps light, amplifying a small chemical reaction into a visible color shift.

The key was not simply using palladium’s reaction with hydrogen, but designing the position and nanostructure of palladium inside an optical resonator to amplify the chemical reaction into a large color change.

· Yoo Yong-sangThe Korea University professor explained the sensor’s design principle.

The sensor produced a color change visible to the naked eye within two seconds of exposure. It retained more than 90% of its initial performance after hydrogen injection and removal were repeated more than 30 times. After 60 days of storage in air, it retained between 87% and 94% of its initial performance.

The device can be made on thin PET film and attached to hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen-powered vehicles and hydrogen pipelines. By changing the arrangement of the palladium, researchers can make an H₂ warning, QR code or other pattern appear only when hydrogen leaks. The team plans to expand the technology into hydrogen safety monitoring and security or display devices that visually show chemical reactions.

It is highly significant that spatial coupling between standing light waves and a reactive material can be controlled so that the material’s change becomes visible through light only when a specific chemical reaction occurs.

· Kim Myung-kiThe professor described the optical significance of the research.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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