Facile synthesis of palladium-decorated three-dimensional conducting polymer nanofilm for highly sensitive H-2 gas sensor

Abstract

Hydrogen gas is a topic of considerable interest because of its critical importance to various applications in the fuel cell, aerospace and automotive industries. However, because it is highly flammable at low concentrations and causes asphyxiation at higher concentrations, it is crucial to implement an appropriate system to monitor hydrogen gas. In this report, we illustrate the facile synthesis of palladium-decorated three-dimensional conducting polymer nanofilms (PPyPds) for the detection of hydrogen gas. PPyPds are formed directly on the electrode through a modified electrodeposition process. The resulting PPyPd-based sensor is highly sensitive (down to 5 ppm) and binds hydrogen reversibly at ambient conditions, owing to the uniform distribution of palladium on the three-dimensional polypyrrole surface.