Identification of target customers for hydrogen sensing systems

Most of the world’s energy requirement is fulfilled by fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. These fossil fuels are predicted to run out by 2070. Along will the shortage, the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere leads to global warming and the release of several other toxic gases such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen leads to air pollution. To curb these adverse effects the use of renewable energy resources is inevitable. The use of hydrogen as a fuel is a viable alternative.  There are certain challenges associated with the use of hydrogen as potential fuel. It is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that burns with an invisible flame. It escapes through the tiniest of cracks and is highly inflammable. If not handled with proper care hydrogen could turn into a potential hazard. Hence, hydrogen leakage detection is of prime importance leading to the development and marketing of hydrogen sensors. There are a variety of hydrogen sensors currently available in the market. But the complication of these sensors is that they are very expensive and or work only at high temperatures. Cheaper sensors suffer from cross-sensitivity and are not reliable. Metal oxide-based sensors seem to address these issues. This review paper portrays the advantages of metal oxide-based sensors over other sensors available in the market and identification of potential customers for these metal oxide-based hydrogen sensors and sensing systems.