Photoacoustic Detection of H(2) and NH(3) Using Plasmonic Signal Enhancement in GaN Microcantilevers

Photoacoustic (PA) detection of H(2) and NH(3) using plasmonic excitation in Pt- and Pd-decorated GaN piezotransistive microcantilevers were investigated using pulsed 520-nm laser illumination. The sensing performances of 1-nm Pt and Pd nanoparticle (NP) deposited cantilever devices were compared, of which the Pd-coated sensor devices exhibited consistently better sensing performance, with lower limit of detection and superior signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values, compared to the Pt-coated devices. Among the two functionalization layers, Pd-coated devices were found to respond only to H(2) exposure and not to NH(3), while Pt-coated devices exhibited repeatable response to both H(2) and NH(3) exposures, highlighting the potential of the former in performing selective detection between these reducing gases. Optimization of the device-biasing conditions were found to enhance the detection sensitivity of the sensors.