Material developed by IITS to detect hydrogen gas leaks

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad and Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur have developed materials that can detect Hydrogen Gas Leaks with high sensitivity. The research team has synthesized a semiconductor material that can be used as a sensitive detector of hydrogen gas.

This work by the IIT Hyderabad and IIT Jodhpur team would help in the development of reliable and robust hydrogen gas sensors with high sensitivity and quick response, for domestic as well as industrial applications.

The seeds of this development were sown during the ‘National Frontiers of Science’ meeting organized by Indian National Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS) at IIT Hyderabad in December 2018.

During this meeting, Dr. Chandra Shekhar Sharma, Associate Professor, Creative and Advanced Research Based On Nanomaterials (CARBON) Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, and his research team held discussions on collaborations with Dr. Mahesh Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Jodhpur.

The results of this collaborative research have been published recently in the reputed peer-reviewed journal Sensors and Actuators.

The paper was co-authored by Dr. Chandra Shekhar Sharma and Dr. Mahesh Kumar and research scholars - Mr. Vijendra Singh Bhati, Mr. Akash Nathani and Mr. Adarsh Nigam.

Speaking about the importance of this research, Dr. Chandra Shekhar Sharma said, “In the past few decades, the importance of hydrogen has grown tremendously because of its promise as a primary energy source with the potential to become a panacea for clean energy generation.”