Award Winning Color Changing Hydrogen Detection Tape



In 2003 UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) received a $20M grant from NASA-Glenn Research Center to lead a hydrogen research program in Florida. The program was led by Principal Investigator David Block, Ph.D. and Co-PI Ali Raissi, Ph.D. Shortly after the hydrogen research program was initiated, NASA-Kennedy Space Center identified a need for an easy-to-use, safe, effective, and non-powered solution to visually detect dangerous hydrogen leaks on and near the shuttle launch pad. Since hydrogen gas is odorless and colorless, visual detection would allow the leak source to be quickly pinpointed for repair. With the hydrogen research program underway at UCF, NASA physicist, Bob Youngquist, contacted FSEC hydrogen researcher Ali Raissi, Ph.D. for a solution.To get more news about Detectable tape, you can visit senpinghz.com official website.

Raissi conceived the idea of modifying pigments to selectively change color in the presence of hydrogen. He pulled together two teams of researchers to develop the chemochromic hydrogen detection materials. The first research team used a PdO/TiO2 class of pigments based on a formulation by Sakamoto et al. to create an irreversible color change when hydrogen was detected. This research team included FSEC chemists Nahid Mohajeri, Ph.D. and Nazim Muradov, Ph.D. as well as retired DOW CORNING chemist and expert in silicone chemistry Gary Bokerman. A detailed recipe for preparing hydrogen detection tapes was transferred to NASA chemist Janine Captain, Ph.D. and her colleagues at Kennedy.

In tandem with the PdO/TiO2 based pigments development work, Raissi’s second team also researched another class of hydrogen sensing pigments with reversible color change.

NASA Testing

Luke Roberson Ph.D., NASA research scientist, led the NASA development team that collaborated with UCF. He and team members Janine Captain, Ph.D., Martha Williams, Ph.D., and LaNetra Tate, Ph.D. tested the tape for use on the launch pad. The silicone matrix tape wasn’t deployable at the launch pad because of flammability and static issues, so his team mixed the pigments into Teflon-based tape. This version passed flammability and weather resistant tests. It was then tested on cross transfer lines, fuel cells, and other NASA sites.
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