There are two potential commercial applications for the proposed rapid, high sensitivity hydrogen sensors. The first is quantitative determination of hydrogen concentration in human breath, used as a diagnostic tool for health conditions such as lactose intolerance. Bacteria in the human digestive system produce low levels of hydrogen in exhaled breath (typically 7±5ppm), and analysis of the hydrogen concentration is part of the diagnostic process for several conditions. Tests involve having the patient eat or drink something that will cause the bacteria to produce increased levels of hydrogen, and then monitoring breath for the resulting gas concentration. The second application relates to hydrogen generation, delivery, and storage leak detection and monitoring. The high sensitivity, fast response times, reversibility, wide range of hydrogen concentration sensed, low cost, and small size would make the proposed sensors applicable to these emerging market segments.
The primary NASA application for the proposed sensors would be in a wireless multisensor system for real-time leak detection in areas surrounding hydrogen and methane storage. The potential ability of these sensors to respond in msec with quantitative measurements of hydrogen and methane at ppm concentration levels, combined with the demonstrated ability to uniquely identify each sensor and read the sensors wirelessly, should enable implementation of a wireless distributed real-time leak monitoring system. The ability of the sensors to operate without batteries will allow deployment on long-term missions and minimize maintenance requirements.
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