Differential optical detection of hydrogen gas in the atmosphere

In this publication, we describe a sensitive hydrogen detector based on the differential optical transmission of visible (or near infra red) light through a multi-layer, Pd containing sensor. Due to the differential nature of the technique, this hydrogen detector is insensitive to spurious effects that often cause false readings and/or drifts in single-sensor detectors. Using this technique, we built a small hand-held and battery operated hydrogen detector with excellent chemical selectivity, high sensitivity and short response time.