# Intrinsically Safe Optical Fiber Hydrogen Sensor Using Pt-SiO2 Coated Long-Period Fiber Grating

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a safe and sensitive optical sensor for detecting hydrogen using a Pt-SiO2 coated fiber grating, offering fast and reliable performance for real-time monitoring.

## Contribution

The novel Pt-SiO2 coating on long-period fiber gratings enables intrinsically safe and highly sensitive hydrogen detection.

## Key findings

- The sensor shows a maximum wavelength shift of 7.544 nm for 0.5–2.5% H2 concentrations.
- It exhibits fast response/recovery and good repeatability/reversibility.
- Logistic fitting confirms a strong correlation (R2 = 0.999) between H2 concentration and sensor response.

## Abstract

Hydrogen, a promising clean energy carrier, needs safe detection due to its flammability. Conventional electrical hydrogen sensors have drawbacks like high operating temperatures, poor selectivity and ignition risks. We propose an optical sensor using long-period fiber gratings (LPGs) coated with Pt-SiO2 nanomaterials. It works via catalytic reaction: H2 reacts with O2 on Pt nanoparticles, releasing heat that shifts LPG’s resonant wavelength. Structural characterization showed porous SiO2 with uniform Pt, ensuring efficiency and stability. Experiments proved it sensitively responds to 0.5–2.5% H2 (max wavelength shift 7.544 nm), with fast response/recovery, good repeatability/reversibility. Logistic fitting (R2 = 0.999) confirmed strong correlation. This sensor, safe, sensitive and stable, has great potential for real-time H2 monitoring in critical environments.