TU Delft researchers develop optical hydrogen sensors for aerospace applications
Within the OVERLEAF project, researchers have find that tantalum outperforms palladium-based materials for hydrogen sensing at temperatures up to 270°c
As part of the OVERLEAF project consortium, researchers at TU Delft have made significant strides in hydrogen sensing technology with the publication of their latest paper, "Metal Hydride Hydrogen Sensing Materials from 28°C to 270°C". The study investigates the performance of TU Delft patented (tantalum and tantalum-alloy thin films) and other (palladium and palladium-gold thin films) hydrogen sensing materials when exposed to varying hydrogen concentrations at temperatures between 28°C and 270°C, testing their durability and stability.
Hydrogen sensors are essential in sectors such as energy and manufacturing, where high temperatures and hydrogen exposure are common. The study's findings reveal that while palladium and palladium-gold thin films show diminishing optical response at higher temperatures, tantalum stands out for its prominent optical response at the all studied temperatures. Tantalum not only responds effectively to hydrogen concentrations well below 0.01% but also maintained stability and accuracy at 270°C for over 350 cycles. These results make tantalum a promising candidate for hydrogen detection across a range of concentrations (0.01% to 100%) and high temperatures up to 270°C, enhancing safety and efficiency in hydrogen-based applications.
In parallel to the study on hydrogen sensing materials, TU Delft team creates an optical hydrogen sensor by applying the tantalum thin film on a titled fibre Bragg grating. Design of the sensor was published at the SPIE Europe 2024, a conference on optical sensing and detection, "Design of a Tantalum Metal Hydride-Coated Tilted Fibre Bragg Grating-Based Hydrogen Sensor". Furthermore, initial tests of the sensor shows promising results which were presented during the 11th European Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring, "Advancing Hydrogen Sensing for Sustainable Aviation: A metal hydride coated TFBG optical fibre hydrogen sensor".
This research paves the way for developing more robust and reliable hydrogen sensors, contributing to the safe deployment of hydrogen technologies as part of Europe's green energy transition. The work done also reflects the commitment of TU Delft and the OVERLEAF project in advancing innovative solutions for a sustainable future.
Please refer to the link on the publication titles for more details on this work.
Photo credits: TU Delft
Contacts:
Hydrogen sensing materials (Lars Bannenberg; L.J.Bannenberg@tudelft.nl)
Fibre optic sensors (Roger Groves; R.M.Groves@tudelft.nl)
Coordinator:
Emma Celeste Lope Retuerto, Aciturri Engineering, emmaceleste.lope@aciturri.com
Communication Manager:
Leonardo Improta, ICONS, leonardo.improta@icons.it
Project website: Homepage—Overleaf (overleaf-project.eu)
Bluesky: @overleafeu.bsky.social
LinkedIn: OVERLEAF
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