Hydrogen energy: development prospects and materials

Abstract

The review addresses the prospects of global hydrogen energy development. Particular attention is given to the design of materials for sustainable hydrogen energy applications, including hydrogen production, purification, storage, and conversion to energy. The review highlights the key role of oxide-supported metal or alloy nanoparticles as catalysts in the hydrogen production via the conversion of natural gas or alcohols. An alternative approach is the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons giving hydrogen and carbon. The direct production of high-purity hydrogen can be performed using electrolysis or membrane catalysis. Apart from conventional hydrogen storage methods such as the compression and liquefaction, the hydrogen alloy absorption and chemical conversion to liquid carriers (ammonia and toluene cycles) are considered. Fuel cells, containing catalysts and proton-conducting membranes as the key components, are used for hydrogen energy generation. Binary platinum alloys or core – shell structures supported on carbon or oxides can be employed to facilitate the oxygen electroreduction and CO electrooxidation in low-temperature fuel cells. High conductivity and selectivity are provided by perfluorinated sulfonic acid membranes. The high cost of the latter materials dictates the development of alternative membrane materials. A crucial issue in high-temperature fuel cells is the necessity of reducing the operating temperature and ohmic losses. This problem can be solved by designing thin-film materials and replacing oxygen-conducting ceramic membranes by proton-conducting membranes. The bibliography includes 290 references.

Nafion/Surface Modified Ceria Hybrid Membranes for Fuel Cell Application

“…Most of the works in this area are devoted to silica and zirconia [1][2][3][4][5][6], while far too little attention has been paid to ceria [7][8][9] During operation of low-temperature fuel cells (FCs), hydrogen peroxide and other reactive oxygen species (hydroxyl radicals, superoxide radicals) are generated in a number of side electrochemical reactions. These radicals cause proton-exchange membranes to degrade and decrease FC power [10][11][12][13]. Cerium ions can interact with reactive oxygen species due to the reversible redox reaction Ce 4+ ↔ Ce 3+ [14][15][16][17].…”

Membrane Technologies for Decarbonization

“…Only 3% of hydrogen is currently used for energy production. However, according to forecasts, by 2050, the share of hydrogen in energy consumption will be approximately 1.5 times higher than the total volume of today's production [15]. The bulk of hydrogen today is produced by the conversion of natural gas through partial oxidation with atmospheric oxygen [172] or through steam reforming [173].…”

“…The only completely "green" way of producing hydrogen is electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources at a time when their productivity exceeds consumer demand for electricity [193]. This hydrogen is free of impurities and does not need to be purified; however, the amount of electricity obtained with its help, at best, will be half the energy spent on electrolysis [15].…”

“…In this regard, great attention is paid to hydrogen energy, which on the one hand will be used as energy storage [7,8], and in the production of hydrogen, for example, by biomass conversion can be considered as a renewable energy source [9,10]. In this regard, the adoption of strategies for the development of hydrogen energy by the world's leading powers is seen as an important step towards reducing the consumption of fossil carbonaceous raw materials (so-called decarbonization of the world economy) [11][12][13][14][15].…”

Biphenyl Hydrogenation with Syngas for Hydrogen Purification and Transportation: Performance of Dispersed Catalytic Systems Based on Transition Metal Sulfides

“…The use of hydrogen as an energy carrier requires the development of approaches to producing low-carbonfootprint hydrogen and to making its purification and transportation more efficient [1,2]. Traditional methods for producing pure hydrogen include several steps.…”