LAUSR

Abstract Palladium (Pd) nanoparticles were elaborated into the amorphous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfiber to experimentally determine the hydrogen concentration during 0.2 vol%‒1 vol%. The respective high specific surface area and multi-void structure of the sensing probe effectively enhance its absorption and interaction effect for hydrogen molecules. The introduction of Pd nanoparticles has improved the sensitivity of the pure PMMA microfiber for more than 3 folds. The highest sensitivity of 5.2 × 10−4 nm/ppm has been demonstrated using a cut of Pd nanoparticles functioned PMMA microfiber with a diameter of 28 μm and a length of 473 μm. The optical fiber hydrogen sensor probe is expected to shorten the response time to several seconds and realize real-time monitoring of hydrogen leakage in trace concentration.