Hydrogen is envisioned as one of the most attractive and sustainable energy systems to power future generations. Because of their particular surface characteristics and distinctive physical properties nanoscale materials are promising candidates for the development of high performance hydrogen sensors, essential components to ensure the safe operation of the infrastructure and to facilitate the public acceptance of hydrogen technologies.

This investigation is dedicated to the development of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) and double wall carbon nanotube (DWNT)-based nanostructured materials for high performance hydrogen sensors. It addresses the controlled synthesis of nanostructures with defined geometries and sizes, study of physical and electronic properties, and the integration into functional hydrogen sensing devices.

Compared to current palladium thin film sensors and nanostructured devices the AAO-based nanostructure exhibits faster response times without compromising sensitivity and selectivity. Performance of developed DWNT-based nanostructures is comparable to that for high performance hydrogen sensors fabricated with SWNTs, but with potential improvement in mechanical and thermal resistance associated to the double layer structure.