Close Menu
Energy NewsEnergy News
  • NEWS
    • Breaking News
    • Hydrogen
    • Energy Storage
    • Grid
    • SMR
    • Projects
    • Production
    • Transport
    • Research
  • SPOTLIGHT
    • Interviews
    • Face 2 Face
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Reviews
    • Events
  • REGIONAL
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Middle east
    • Pacific
  • COMMUNITY
  • ABOUT
    • Advisory Board
    • Contact us
    • Report Your News
    • Advertize
    • Subscribe
LinkedIn X (Twitter) YouTube Facebook
Trending
  • Hy24 Joins Hynamics UK to Back £300M Green Hydrogen Project at ExxonMobil’s Fawley Complex
  • Primary Hydrogen Advances Natural Hydrogen Exploration in Atlantic Canada
  • Legal Challenge Halts Brazil’s Coastal Hydrogen Project Over Environmental Violations
  • Hyundai Bets on Indian Hydrogen Ecosystem with New R&D Hub at IIT Madras
  • Falling Capture Rates and Rising Volatility Reshape Investment in European Power Markets
  • Why Most Hydrogen Research Will Never Scale—and How Balkan Labs Are Quietly Changing the Game
  • E.ON Cancels 20MW Hydrogen Plant in Essen
  • Repsol Abandons 130MW Hydrogen Project in Puertollano Amid Economic and Technical Concerns
LinkedIn X (Twitter) YouTube Facebook
Energy NewsEnergy News
  • NEWS
    • Breaking News
    • Hydrogen
    • Energy Storage
    • Grid
    • SMR
    • Projects
    • Production
    • Transport
    • Research
  • SPOTLIGHT
    • Interviews
    • Face 2 Face
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Reviews
    • Events
  • REGIONAL
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Middle east
    • Pacific
  • COMMUNITY
  • ABOUT
    • Advisory Board
    • Contact us
    • Report Your News
    • Advertize
    • Subscribe
Energy NewsEnergy News
Home Home - Research
Green Hydrogen H2 News

New optical sensor detects extremely low hydrogen concentrations

Anela DoksoBy Anela Dokso06/12/20223 Mins Read
Share
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email WhatsApp Telegram

An optical sensor that can detect extremely low hydrogen concentrations has been created by scientists from Chalmers University of Technology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Eindhoven University of Technology.

In order to decarbonize the heavy transportation industry, hydrogen is viewed as a key component, and hydrogen-powered trains, trucks, and aircraft are being developed and used globally. Hydrogen is recognized as being crucial in even heavy industry, such as in the manufacture of steel free of fossil fuels.

Hydrogen storage and use carry a number of known dangers. For an explosive mixture (knallgas) to form in air with only 4% hydrogen, a spark of any size is all that is needed. Ultra-sensitive sensors must be installed in order to monitor leakage and sound an alarm at critical levels.

The Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has now created an optical hydrogen sensor that can detect hydrogen concentrations as low as ever before in collaboration with Dutch colleagues. Thus, it joins the group of sensors with the highest sensitivity.

AI technology set the standard

The optical hydrogen sensor is made up of many metal nanoparticles that cooperate to find hydrogen in their immediate environment. The new sensor was created using a different methodology than earlier ones. The researchers have employed cutting-edge AI technology to generate the ideal interaction between the particles based on their proximity to each other, diameter, and thickness, as opposed to manufacturing a large number of samples and testing them one at a time to determine which one works best. As a result, a sensor was created that can track changes in hydrogen concentration down to a few hundred thousandths of a percent.

The combination of the particles’ precise size and their regular arrangement on a surface is the secret to the new sensor’s low detection limit. Compared to the random particle arrangement employed in earlier sensors of the same type, this turned out to be more advantageous for the sensor’s sensitivity.

Optical hydrogen sensor

The sensor that the researchers created is based on plasmons, an optical phenomena that happens when metal nanoparticles catch light and give the particles a distinctive color. When the amount of hydrogen in the environment varies, the color of the nanoparticles composed of palladium or a palladium alloy changes, and the sensor can sound an alarm if the levels reach critical levels.

In order to attain the highest level of sensitivity to hydrogen exposure, the researchers employed an artificial intelligence method called particle swarm optimisation to determine the ideal combination of the arrangement on the surface and shape of the particles in the sensor. The solution turned out to be to arrange the particles in a very well specified regular pattern.

The AI-designed optimized optical hydrogen sensor was made, and its ability to optically detect hydrogen in the “parts per billion” range has been confirmed (250 ppb).

Share. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Related Posts

Hy24 Joins Hynamics UK to Back £300M Green Hydrogen Project at ExxonMobil's Fawley Complex

Hy24 Joins Hynamics UK to Back £300M Green Hydrogen Project at ExxonMobil’s Fawley Complex

09/07/2025
Hydrogen

Primary Hydrogen Advances Natural Hydrogen Exploration in Atlantic Canada

09/07/2025
Legal Challenge Halts Brazil’s Coastal Hydrogen Project Over Environmental Violations

Legal Challenge Halts Brazil’s Coastal Hydrogen Project Over Environmental Violations

09/07/2025
Hyundai Hydrogen

Hyundai Bets on Indian Hydrogen Ecosystem with New R&D Hub at IIT Madras

09/07/2025
Falling Capture Rates and Rising Volatility Reshape Investment in European Power Markets

Falling Capture Rates and Rising Volatility Reshape Investment in European Power Markets

09/07/2025
Hydrogen

Why Most Hydrogen Research Will Never Scale—and How Balkan Labs Are Quietly Changing the Game

08/07/2025
Hy24 Joins Hynamics UK to Back £300M Green Hydrogen Project at ExxonMobil's Fawley Complex

Hy24 Joins Hynamics UK to Back £300M Green Hydrogen Project at ExxonMobil’s Fawley Complex

09/07/2025
Hydrogen

Primary Hydrogen Advances Natural Hydrogen Exploration in Atlantic Canada

09/07/2025
Legal Challenge Halts Brazil’s Coastal Hydrogen Project Over Environmental Violations

Legal Challenge Halts Brazil’s Coastal Hydrogen Project Over Environmental Violations

09/07/2025
Hyundai Hydrogen

Hyundai Bets on Indian Hydrogen Ecosystem with New R&D Hub at IIT Madras

09/07/2025

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from the hydrogen market subscribe to our newsletter.

LinkedIn X (Twitter) Facebook YouTube

News

  • Inteviews
  • Webinars
  • Hydrogen
  • Spotlight
  • Regional

Company

  • Advertising
  • Media Kits
  • Contact Info
  • GDPR Policy

Subscriptions

  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Sponsored News

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from EnergyNewsBiz about hydrogen.

© 2025 EnergyNews.biz
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Accessibility

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.