The development of new, more efficient electrochemical cells could provide a good option for carbon-free hydrogen and chemical production along with large-scale electricity generation and storage.
But first, scientists must overcome several challenges, including how to make the cells more efficient and cost-effective.
Recently, a research team led by Idaho National Laboratory used a simple process to bind materials more tightly within protonic ceramic electrochemical cells, also known as PCECs, solving a mystery that had limited the technology’s performance. The results were published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature.
Tag: Hydrogen
How to catch a perfect wave: Scientists take a closer look inside the perfect fluid
Scientists have reported new clues to solving a cosmic conundrum: How the quark-gluon plasma – nature’s perfect fluid – evolved into the building blocks of matter during the birth of the early universe.
Hydrogen Technologies Take Leading Role Toward Net Zero
Achieving Net Zero energy, where the total amount of energy used is equal to the amount of renewable energy created, is closer than ever before, and hydrogen technologies will play an important role in achieving that goal, but needs and gaps need to be addressed before a true hydrogen-powered future can take form. There are many opportunities in the global public and private sectors for research, development, and deployment collaboration.
Worldly Experience Is a Catalyst for Change
Bojana Ginovska leads a physical biosciences research team headed for PNNL’s new Energy Sciences Center. She uses the transformative power of molecular catalysis and enzymes to explore scientific principles.
Featured Video: Why Hydrogen Tells Us the Story of the Universe
Join NRAO to learn why scientists are so interested in hydrogen in the galaxy and beyond.

Hydrogen Energy Storage at Your Service
PNNL’s new Hydrogen Energy Storage Evaluation Tool allows users to examine multiple energy delivery pathways and grid applications to maximize benefits.
Solar energy from the deep repository
During the winter months, renewable energy is in short supply throughout Europe. An international project is now considering an unconventional solution: Renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide are pumped into the ground together, where naturally occurring microorganisms convert the two substances into methane, the main component of natural gas.
Computers help researchers find materials to turn solar power into hydrogen
A Penn State-led team of researchers report they have taken a step toward overcoming the challenge of inexpensive hydrogen production by using supercomputers to find materials that could help accelerate hydrogen separation when water is exposed to light, a process called photocatalysis.
On-Site Hydrogen Production Technology Accelerates to Market
SoCalGas recently licensed a PNNL-developed generation system that uses sunlight to convert natural gas and water into hydrogen and capture the carbon dioxide (CO2) to prevent carbon emissions. Hydrogen has many applications, including powering vehicles and homes.
36 Dwarf Galaxies Had Simultaneous “Baby Boom” of New Stars
Three dozen dwarf galaxies far from each other had a simultaneous “baby boom” of new stars, an unexpected discovery that challenges current theories on how galaxies grow and may enhance our understanding of the universe. Galaxies more than 1 million light-years apart should have completely independent lives in terms of when they give birth to new stars. But galaxies separated by up to 13 million light-years slowed down and then simultaneously accelerated their birth rate of stars, according to a Rutgers-led study published in the Astrophysical Journal.
New optical hydrogen sensors eliminate risk of sparking
A new study published in Nature Communications documents an inexpensive, spark-free, optical-based hydrogen sensor that is more sensitive — and faster — than previous models.
Pathways clear for decarbonising heavy industry
The production of green steel will be a critical step to enable the world’s heavy industry to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and Australia is well placed to be an important player in this space.

Interception mission to confirm ‘Oumuamua, other interstellar objects, in the works
CHICAGO – ‘Ouamuamua, the first observed interstellar object, zipped through our solar system back in October 2017 — and astronomers have been trying to understand it ever since. While some researchers speculated it could be a comet, asteroid, or even…

New Clean Energy Process Converts Methane to Hydrogen with Zero Carbon Dioxide Emissions
PNNL, teaming with academia and industry, develops a novel zero-emission methane pyrolysis process that produces both hydrogen and high-value carbon solids.
Nation’s first green hydrogen ‘energy station’ expected 2022
Catalyzed by a Cornell University grant and Cornell sustainability research over the past decade, energy storage company Standard Hydrogen Corporation (SHC) and National Grid announced plans March 11 to build the first hydrogen “energy station” of its kind in the nation. The SHC Energy Transfer System will be built in New York’s Capital Region; completion is expected by late 2022.

Seventeen from Argonne recognized with Secretary of Energy’s Honor Awards
Six groups that included seventeen scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory were recent recipients of the DOE’s 2020 Secretary of Energy’s Honor Awards.

Breakthrough material makes pathway to hydrogen use for fuel cells under hot, dry conditions
A collaborative research team, including Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Stuttgart (Germany), University of New Mexico, and Sandia National Laboratories, has developed a proton conductor for fuel cells based on polystyrene phosphonic acids that maintain high protonic conductivity up to 200 C without water.

Best Region For Life on Mars Was Far Below Surface
The most habitable region for life on Mars would have been up to several miles below its surface, likely due to subsurface melting of thick ice sheets fueled by geothermal heat, a Rutgers-led study concludes. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, may help resolve what’s known as the faint young sun paradox – a lingering key question in Mars science.

Research creates hydrogen-producing living droplets, paving way for alternative future energy sources
Scientists have built tiny droplet-based microbial factories that produce hydrogen, instead of oxygen, when exposed to daylight in air.

Hydrogen Embrittlement Creates Complications for Clean Energy Storage, Transportation
Hydrogen is becoming a crucial pillar in the clean energy movement, and developing safe and cost-effective storage and transportation methods for it is essential but complicated, because hydrogen can cause brittleness in several metals including ferritic steel. Recent advancements are starting to provide insight into the embrittlement process. A review of various methods in Applied Physics Reviews improves the understanding of the structure, property, and performance of ferritic steels subjected to mechanical loading in a hydrogen environment.

Scientists Capture Candid Snapshots of Electrons Harvesting Light at the Atomic Scale
A team of scientists led by Berkeley Lab has gained important new insight into electrons’ role in the harvesting of light in artificial photosynthesis systems.

Argonne researchers focus on grid cybersecurity to pave the way for a clean energy future
Distributed energy resources use electronics to communicate with each other or with a control center. Yet this presents opportunities for cyber attacks that could become real threats to the electric power system. Argonne experts are developing ways to protect power systems from these threats before they can occur.
First Solar Energy System to Split Water into Hydrogen and Oxygen at Separate Sites
Researchers have developed a prototype system for efficient and safe production of hydrogen using only solar energy. The innovative system contains a tandem cell solar device that enables more efficient utilization of the light spectrum.

Inside the Fuel Cell — Imaging Method Promises Industrial Insight
Hydrogen-containing substances are important for many industries, but scientists have struggled to obtain detailed images to understand the element’s behavior. In Review of Scientific Instruments, researchers demonstrate the quantification of hydrogen for different states of water — i.e., liquid, frozen and supercooled — for applications to eco-friendly fuel cells.