Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with Palladium Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Detection

Abstract

This paper presents a hydrogen sensor based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) decorated with Pd nanoparticles. Pulsed laser ablation in water was used to prepare Pd nanoparticles in colloid form. Two types of samples were prepared using airbrush deposition technology: one containing only SWCNT and the other containing a combination of SWCNT and Pd nanoparticles. Experimental results show that Pd nanoparticles have a significant contribution to the sensitivity of the sensor, which shows a greater response to hydrogen gas at room temperature. In addition, the temperature dependence and cross-sensitivity of the sensor to other gases such as methane, ammonia and nitrogen dioxide were investigated.