Synthesis of nanoporous platinum thin films and application as hydrogen sensor

A nanoporous platinum (np-Pt) thin film based hydrogen sensor was fabricated and studied. The np-Pt thin films were fabricated through a method of chemical dealloying and coarsening starting from a CuPt alloy. The alloy thin films of CuxPt1-x were deposited by sputtering copper and platinum at the same time. The dealloying process completely removed the copper from the film. We demonstrate a method to control the porosity of np-Pt by a method of coarsening. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the presence of porosity with size ranging from a few nanometers to tens of nanometers. A sensor device with four electrodes was fabricated on the np-Pt thin films using a stainless steel mask and by sputtering copper. The electrical characteristics of the sensor exhibit marked sensitivity or current changes in the presence of hydrogen. The results demonstrate that np-Pt thin films configured as a gas sensor have high sensitivity to hydrogen.