Materials for hydrogen service advanced by new multilab consortium

Sandia, PNNL lead group studying metals and polymers in hydrogen environments

By Melissae Fellet

Researchers at Sandia and Pacific Northwest national laboratories are leading a collaborative effort to investigate how hydrogen affects materials such as plastics, rubber, steel and aluminum.

The Hydrogen Materials Compatibility Consortium, or H-Mat, will focus on how hydrogen affects polymers and metals used in diverse sectors including fuel cell transportation and hydrogen infrastructure. Researchers at Oak Ridge, Savannah River and Argonne national laboratories, as well as in industry and academia, are also part of the collaboration. The effort supports the U.S. Department of Energy H2@Scale initiative, which aims to advance hydrogen utilization for energy production and storage as well as industrial processes.

“The advanced computational capabilities, unique experimental facilities and scientific expertise at the national laboratories will provide enhanced understanding of the interactions of hydrogen gas with polymers and metals,” said Chris San Marchi, Sandia materials scientist and co-lead for the consortium. “The goal is to improve materials reliability in hydrogen infrastructure for large scale use of hydrogen as an energy carrier.”

Read the complete release to learn more.