Hydrothermally Modified PD Nanoparticles Decorated TiO2 Nanospheres for Visible Light Induced Room Temperature Hydrogen Sensing

Gas sensors targeted towards detection of low concentrations of hydrogen gas with fast response and recovery under room temperature (RT) conditions are essential for safe handling of this volatile compound. In this study, Pd decorated TiO
2
nanospheres (NS) comprising of nano-Schottky junctions (Pd-TiO
2
) and n-p hetero-junctions (PdO-TiO
2
) were fabricated via hydrothermal method. Hydrogen sensing at RT under visible light conditions with 0.5 V was investigated. Introducing Pd with a mean diameter of 4.29 nm and PdO into the TiO
2
NS could lead to the development of a novel approach to detecting hydrogen using visible light conditions at RT, with fast response (77s).