Characterization of a purely thermal wave based photopyroelectric gas sensor for hydrogen detection

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Abstract
A study towards the characterization of a new photopyroelectric gas sensor with an operating mechanism based purely on thermal waves is performed. It has been found that by restricting the gas flow over the sensor to a thin layer, sensitivity of the phase of the photopyroelectric signal to hydrogen is greatly enhanced. The phase of the signal has been shown to be more stable than the amplitude. Furthermore, the thinner the pyroelectric film, the better the sensitivity. Hydrogen concentrations as low as 1% in air have been detected using a 9 μm film.