A Low-Cost Full-Range Hydrogen Sensor Based on Quartz Tuning Fork

Chuanning Li; Ying He; Shunda Qiao; Yufei Ma

doi:10.1109/JSEN.2025.3557440

A Low-Cost Full-Range Hydrogen Sensor Based on Quartz Tuning Fork

Chuanning Li
, Ying He
, Shunda Qiao
, Yufei Ma^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Astronautics

Harbin Institute of Technology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hydrogen (H₂) sensors have a wide range of applications in green energy, including fuel cell monitoring, hydrogen storage safety, and leak detection in renewable energy systems. This article reports a quartz tuning fork (QTF)-based low-cost full-range H2 sensor with a detection range of 0%–100%. The system features a simple structure and easy fabrication. Firstly, the relationship between H₂ concentration and the characteristics of QTF was theoretically analyzed. The influence of hydrogen viscosity on QTFs was used as a sensing mechanism. Three QTFs with different resonant frequencies of 8, 32, and 100 kHz were experimentally compared, and the results indicated that the 100-kHz QTF exhibits the best performance, achieving a frequency sensitivity of 200 mHz/% and the fastest response. The findings revealed that higher-frequency QTFs exhibit superior sensitivity to H₂detection. The designed sensor platform enables H₂ sensing at a low manufacturing cost and the sensors are easily replaceable, which opens up great potential for mass production and use in industry.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	16943-16949
Number of pages	7
Journal	IEEE Sensors Journal
Volume	25
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2025.3557440
State	Published - 2025

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

Keywords

Frequency shifts
hydrogen (H₂) sensors
quartz tuning fork (QTF)
resonant frequency

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10.1109/JSEN.2025.3557440

Cite this

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title = "A Low-Cost Full-Range Hydrogen Sensor Based on Quartz Tuning Fork",

abstract = "Hydrogen (H2) sensors have a wide range of applications in green energy, including fuel cell monitoring, hydrogen storage safety, and leak detection in renewable energy systems. This article reports a quartz tuning fork (QTF)-based low-cost full-range H2 sensor with a detection range of 0\%–100\%. The system features a simple structure and easy fabrication. Firstly, the relationship between H2 concentration and the characteristics of QTF was theoretically analyzed. The influence of hydrogen viscosity on QTFs was used as a sensing mechanism. Three QTFs with different resonant frequencies of 8, 32, and 100 kHz were experimentally compared, and the results indicated that the 100-kHz QTF exhibits the best performance, achieving a frequency sensitivity of 200 mHz/\% and the fastest response. The findings revealed that higher-frequency QTFs exhibit superior sensitivity to H2 detection. The designed sensor platform enables H2 sensing at a low manufacturing cost and the sensors are easily replaceable, which opens up great potential for mass production and use in industry.",

keywords = "Frequency shifts, hydrogen (H₂) sensors, quartz tuning fork (QTF), resonant frequency",

author = "Chuanning Li and Ying He and Shunda Qiao and Yufei Ma",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2001-2012 IEEE.",

year = "2025",

doi = "10.1109/JSEN.2025.3557440",

language = "英语",

volume = "25",

pages = "16943--16949",

journal = "IEEE Sensors Journal",

issn = "1530-437X",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - A Low-Cost Full-Range Hydrogen Sensor Based on Quartz Tuning Fork

AU - Li, Chuanning

AU - He, Ying

AU - Qiao, Shunda

AU - Ma, Yufei

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - Hydrogen (H2) sensors have a wide range of applications in green energy, including fuel cell monitoring, hydrogen storage safety, and leak detection in renewable energy systems. This article reports a quartz tuning fork (QTF)-based low-cost full-range H2 sensor with a detection range of 0%–100%. The system features a simple structure and easy fabrication. Firstly, the relationship between H2 concentration and the characteristics of QTF was theoretically analyzed. The influence of hydrogen viscosity on QTFs was used as a sensing mechanism. Three QTFs with different resonant frequencies of 8, 32, and 100 kHz were experimentally compared, and the results indicated that the 100-kHz QTF exhibits the best performance, achieving a frequency sensitivity of 200 mHz/% and the fastest response. The findings revealed that higher-frequency QTFs exhibit superior sensitivity to H2 detection. The designed sensor platform enables H2 sensing at a low manufacturing cost and the sensors are easily replaceable, which opens up great potential for mass production and use in industry.

AB - Hydrogen (H2) sensors have a wide range of applications in green energy, including fuel cell monitoring, hydrogen storage safety, and leak detection in renewable energy systems. This article reports a quartz tuning fork (QTF)-based low-cost full-range H2 sensor with a detection range of 0%–100%. The system features a simple structure and easy fabrication. Firstly, the relationship between H2 concentration and the characteristics of QTF was theoretically analyzed. The influence of hydrogen viscosity on QTFs was used as a sensing mechanism. Three QTFs with different resonant frequencies of 8, 32, and 100 kHz were experimentally compared, and the results indicated that the 100-kHz QTF exhibits the best performance, achieving a frequency sensitivity of 200 mHz/% and the fastest response. The findings revealed that higher-frequency QTFs exhibit superior sensitivity to H2 detection. The designed sensor platform enables H2 sensing at a low manufacturing cost and the sensors are easily replaceable, which opens up great potential for mass production and use in industry.

KW - Frequency shifts

KW - hydrogen (H₂) sensors

KW - quartz tuning fork (QTF)

KW - resonant frequency

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105002583551

U2 - 10.1109/JSEN.2025.3557440

DO - 10.1109/JSEN.2025.3557440

M3 - 文章

AN - SCOPUS:105002583551

SN - 1530-437X

VL - 25

SP - 16943

EP - 16949

JO - IEEE Sensors Journal

JF - IEEE Sensors Journal

IS - 10

ER -

A Low-Cost Full-Range Hydrogen Sensor Based on Quartz Tuning Fork

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

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