US Patent 7367215 - Nanowire antifuse hydrogen sensor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7367215.html

This patent from Nano-Proprietary teaches using nanowires for a hydrogen sensor in which an increase in hydrogen concentration gradually allows current flow between the nanowire junctions. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method comprising the steps of: a) forming, directly on a dielectric surface, at least one precisely-defined metal-alloy nanowire comprising nanobreakjunctions which close when exposed to predefined threshold concentrations of hydrogen; b) forming a circuit comprising said nanowire; and c) monitoring an electrical property within said circuit so as to determine when said nanobreakjunctions close.