Highly Durable Chemoresistive Micropatterned PdAu Hydrogen Sensors: Performance and Mechanism

Hydrogen (H₂) is a promising alternative energy source for Net-zero, but the risk of explosion requires accurate and rapid detection systems. As the use of H₂ energy expands, sensors require high performance in a variety of properties. Palladium (Pd) is an attractive material for H₂ detection due to its high H₂ affinity and catalytic properties. However, poor stability caused by volume changes and reliability due to environmental sensitivity remain obstacles. This study proposes a micropatterned thin film of PdAu with optimized composition (Pd_0.62Au_0.38) as a chemoresistive sensor to overcome these issues. At room temperature, the sensor has a wide detection range of 0.0002% to 5% and a fast response time of 9.5 s. Significantly, the sensor exhibits excellent durability for repeated operation (>35 h) in 5% H₂ and resistance to humidity and carbon monoxide. We also report a negative resistivity change in PdAu, which is opposite to that of Pd. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to investigate the resistance change. DFT analysis revealed that H₂ penetrates specific interstitial sites, causing partial lattice compression. The lattice compression causes a decrease in electrical resistance. This work is expected to contribute to the development of high-performance H₂ sensors using Pd-based alloys.