Hydrogen sensing properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The hydrogen sensing properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) synthesized by a hot filament CVD process are reported in this paper. The MWNTs were synthesized by a hot filament assisted chemical vapor deposition method using cobalt oxide nanoparticles as the catalyst on SiO2 surfaces. The MWNTs were characterized with Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Two-terminal test devices were fabricated by depositing a layer of MWNTs between prefabricated gold electrodes on SiO2 surfaces. The diameter of these MWNTs was in the 5–8 nm range. The sensitivity of carbon nanotubes was measured for different gas concentrations at different temperatures. It was found that the MWNTs were sensitive to H2 in low temperature regions of 140–350 °C and had a maximum sensitivity (80%) at 230 °C. No sensitivity was observed at a temperature lower than 140 °C or higher than 400 °C. Though bare MWNTs are not sensitive to H2 at room temperature, they exhibited very good sensing characteristics in the 140–300 °C range.