Sensitivity enhancement of H₂ gas sensor using PbS quantum dots

In this study, a PbS quantum dots (QDs)-based H₂ gas sensor with a Pd electrode was proposed. QDs have a size of several nanometers, and they can exhibit a high surface area when forming a thin film. In particular, the NH₂ present in the ligand of PbS QDs and H₂ gas are combined to form NH^{3 +}, subsequently the electrical characteristics of the QDs change. In addition to the resistance change owing to the reaction between Pd and H₂ gas, the resistance change owing to the reaction between the NH₂ of PbS QDs and H₂ gas increases the current signal at the sensor output, which can produce a high output signal for the same concentration of H₂ gas. Using the XRD and absorbance properties, the synthesis and particle size of the synthesized PbS QDs were analyzed. Using PbS QDs, the sensitivity was significantly improved by 44%. In addition, the proposed H₂ gas sensor has high selectivity because it has low reactivity with heterogeneous gases such as C₂H₂, CO₂, and CH₄.