Importance

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Abstract

A hydrogen sensor for the detection of hydrogen, e.g., in an environment susceptible to the incursion or generation of hydrogen. The sensor includes a rare earth metal thin film arranged for exposure to the environment and exhibiting a detectable change of physical property, e.g., optical transmissivity, electrical resistivity, magneto-resistance, and/or photoconductivity, when the rare earth metal thin film is contacted with hydrogen gas. The sensor may include an output assembly for converting the physical property change to a perceivable output. The rare earth metal thin film may correspondingly be used for signal processing applications, in which the rare earth metal thin film is contacted with hydrogen gas, and a predetermined voltage signal is selectively imposed across the rare earth metal thin film, to selectively electrically switch the film between mirror and window states, with a response being generated according to which of the mirror and window states is present.

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First Claim