A triple-layered PMMA/Ni64Zr36/PDMS hydrogen gas sensor using hydrogen permeable alloy and flexible polymer layers is fabricated through spin coating and DC-magnetron sputtering. PDMS(polydimethylsiloxane) is used as a flexible substrate and PMMA(polymethylmethacrylate) thin film is deposited onto the Ni64Zr36 alloy layer to give a high hydrogenselectivity to the sensor. The measured hydrogen sensing ability and response time of the fabricated sensor at high hydrogen concentration of 99.9 % show a 20 % change in electrical resistance, which is superior to conventional Pd-based hydrogen sensors, which are difficult to use in high hydrogen concentration environments. At a hydrogen concentration of 5 %, the resistance of electricity is about 1.4 %, which is an electrical resistance similar to that of the Pd77Ag23 sensor. Despite using low cost Ni64Zr36 alloy as the main sensing element, performance similar to that of existing Pd sensors is obtained in a highly concentrated hydrogen atmosphere. By improving the sensitivity of the hydrogen detection through optimization including of the thickness of each layer and the composition of Ni-Zr alloy thin film, the proposed Ni-Zr-based hydrogen sensor can replace Pd-based hydrogen sensors.

As an approach for estimation of the droplet size in the molten salt-liquid metal extraction process, a droplet formation experiment at room temperature was conducted to evaluate the applicability of the Scheele-Meister model with water-mercury system as a surrogate that is similar to the molten salt-liquid metal system. In the experiment, droplets were formed through the nozzle and the droplet size was measured using a digital camera and image analysis software. As nozzles, commercially available needles with inner diameters (ID) of 0.018 cm and 0.025 cm and self-fabricated nozzles with 3-holes (ID: 0.0135 cm), 4-holes (ID: 0.0135 cm), and 2-holes (ID: 0.0148 cm) were used. The mercury penetration lengths in the nozzles were 1.3 cm for the needles and 0.5 cm for the self-fabricated nozzles. The droplets formed from each nozzle maintained stable spherical shape up to 20 cm below the nozzle. The droplet size measurements were within a 10% error range when compared to the Scheele-Meister model estimates. The experimental results show th

Among the fuel cell electrolyte candidates in the intermediate temperature range, glass materials show stable physical properties and are also expected to have higher ion conductivity than crystalline materials. In particular, phosphate glass has a high mobility of protons since such a structure maintains a hydrogen bond network that leads to high proton conductivity. Recently, defects like volatilization of phosphorus and destruction of the bonding structure have remarkably improved with introduction of cations, such as Zr4+ and Nb5+, into phosphate. In particular, niobium has proton conductivity on the surface because of higher surface acidity. It can also retain phosphorus content during heat treatment and improve chemical stability by bonding with phosphorus. In this study, we fabricate niobium phosphate glass thin films through sol-gel processing, and we report the chemical stability and electrical properties. The existence of the hydroxyl group in the phosphate is confirmed and found to be preserved at the intermediate temperature region of 150-450 oC.