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Award Winning Color Changing Hydrogen Detection Tape

Hydrogen Detection Technology Genesis

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.

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.

The team also included Trent Smith, Ph.D.; Robert DeVor, Ph.D.; Mary Whitten,Ph.D.;  Barbara Petterson, Ph.D.; and David Smith, Ph.D.

This team then took the pigments and incorporated them into other materials including textiles used to make the jumpers for launch pad technicians and space suits.

Patent Portfolio

To date, the technology has four issued patents and five pending applications. Both UCF and NASA filed patents on various aspects of the technology. “Realizing the potential benefits and commercial market for such technology, Kennedy and UCF entered into an agreement to combine our patent portfolios and jointly license the technology,” Jim Nichols of Kennedy Technology Transfer Office said. NASA and UCF signed the agreement in January 2013 to bundle and jointly commercialize the technology.

Patents Issued

  1. CHEMOCHROMIC HYDROGEN SENSORS (UCF)
    US 8,048,384 B1, Nov. 1, 2011
    Gary Bokerman, Ali Tabatabaie-Raissi, Nazim Muradov
  2. CHEMOCHROMIC DETECTOR FOR SENSING GAS LEAKAGE AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME (NASA)
    US 8,293,178 B2, Oct. 23, 2012
    Luke Roberson, Janine Captain, Martha Williams, Trent Smith, LaNetra Clayton Tate
  3. GAS PERMEABLE CHEMOCHROMIC COMPOSITIONS FOR HYDROGEN SENSING (UCF)
    US 8,591,818 B2, Nov. 26, 2013
    Gary Bokerman, Nahid Mohajeri, Nazim Muradov, Ali Tabatabaie-Raissi
  4. DOPED PALLADIUM CONTAINING OXIDATION CATALYSTS (UCF)
    US 8,652,993 B2, Feb. 18, 2014
    Nahid Mohajeri

Patents Pending

  1. CHEMOCHROMIC DETECTOR FOR SENSING GAS LEAKAGE AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME (NASA)
    US 2013/0005045, Pub. Date: Jan. 3, 2013
    Luke Roberson, Janine Captain, Martha Williams, Trent Smith, LaNetra Clayton Tate
  2. CHEMOCHROMIC DETECTOR FOR SENSING GAS LEAKAGE AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME (NASA)
    US 2013/0004372, Pub. Date: Jan. 3, 2013
    Luke Roberson, Janine Captain, Martha Williams, LaNetra Clayton Tate
  3. Korea 10-2013-7007746 Filed 03/27/13
  4. Germany 11 2011 102 881.4 Filed 02/21/13
  5. CHEMOCHROMIC MEMBRANES FOR MEMBRANE DEFECT DETECTION (UCF)
    US 2013/0052745 A1, Pub. Date: Feb. 28, 2013
    Nahid Mohajeri, Robert Paul Brooker

Commercialization

UCF received multiple requests for samples to be tested by potential customers, so UCF was looking for a company to license and manufacture the technology to meet the demand. Nahid Mohajeri, one of the scientists on Raissi’s research team, decided to start a company to commercialize the tape. HySense Technology was launched in April 2013 and the license between HySense and UCF was executed in November 2013. Mohajeri worked with UCF’s Office of Technology Transfer and Venture Accelerator to start and grow the company. The company’s first commercial sale was in December 2013.

After Mohajeri started marketing and selling the hydrogen leak detection tape, known as Intellipigment™, she continued to modify and improve the product based on customer feedback.

In June 2014, Mohajeri won the $100K grand prize in a business plan competition known as the CAT 5 award which was sponsored by Space Florida and hosted by the Innovation Concourse of the Southeast.

R&D 100 Award

Most recently, UCF, NASA, and HySense have been awarded the prestigious R&D 100 award for developing and commercializing the one-of-a-kind safety solution. The recognition from the R&D 100 Awards validates the great things that can come from partnerships, collaboration, and ingenuity. The banquet and award presentation will be held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 7th.

Future Development

Development of better and less costly pigment formulations and smart tape is still ongoing in FSEC’s Advanced Energy Research Division headed by Raissi.