| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1641371 | Materials Letters | 2016 | 5 Pages |
•ZnO nanorods cluster prepared through hydrothermal method.•Quantum size (3/3 nm) Pt/Pd bimetal decorated on ZnO NRs by PLD method.•Feasibility of H2 sensing properties is investigated.•Mechanical stability and robustness of the flexible H2 sensor is investigated.•The mechanism for H2 response was described by diffusion pathway.
In this work, a flexible hydrogen (H2) gas sensor using Pt/Pd bimetal decorated vertical ZnO nanorods (Pt/Pd-ZnO NRs) on polyimide/ polyethylene terephthalate (PI/PET) substrate was studied. The as-fabricated sensor exhibits a high response magnitude of 69.8 (10,000 ppm), fast response time of 5 sec, and broad detection range from 0.2 to 40,000 ppm at 100 °C. The superior sensing performance was mainly attributed to the enhanced hydrogen-induced changes in the work function of the Pt/Pd-ZnO NRs, which was configured as an array matrix and nanorods cluster with a variable distance between the two electrodes. At optimum conditions (3/3 nm Pt/Pd-ZnO NRs at 100 °C), the device did not show significant degradation in sensing performance even when bent to a curvature angle of 90° and after 105 cycles of deformation. Lightweight and mechanically robust Pt/Pd-ZnO NRs could be a promising building block for fast response and stable flexible hydrogen sensors.
