A self-powered active hydrogen gas sensor with fast response at room temperature based on triboelectric effect

A self-powered active contact-electrification-based fast response and flexible hydrogen (H2) gas sensor has been investigated using a simple and cost effective energy generation method at room temperature. A surface modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) (micropyramids) film was used to make and break contacts with the Pd nanoparticles decorated one dimensional ZnO nanorods array (Pd NPs/ZnO NRs), through which the mechanical energy was converted into electrical energy via the triboelectric effect. The compelling nature of the device was observed after exposing it to dry air and H2 gas. In an air environment, the peak-to-peak open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current reached to around 5.2 V and 80 nA, respectively, while the output voltages varied with different H2 gas concentrations. The output voltage and response of the sensor were found to be approximately 1.1 V and 373% at 10,000 ppm H2, respectively. The response time of the sensor was measured to be around 100 s. The findings therefore suggest the practicability of the proposed approach for triboelectric-based self-powered systems for gas sensing applications.