Fuel cell stack.

Research cluster aims for breakthroughs in hydrogen materials science

The National Hydrogen Materials Alliance aims to develop new materials that improve the efficiency and economics of hydrogen generation, storage and end use.

• 22 October 2007 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Background
• Resources
• Partners in the Alliance

Australia has internationally recognised experts in hydrogen generation, solid-state storage and utilisation (fuel cell) technology.

This National Hydrogen Material Alliance (NHMA) cluster assembles highly significant Australian expertise into a coherent, focused effort.

Background

Led by hydrogen materials specialist Dr Andrew Dicks of the University of Queensland, the cluster includes a total of 12 participating universities and publicly funded research agencies (PFRAs).

Dr Dicks will work closely with Associate Professor Evan Gray of Griffith University, Queensland, an acknowledged expert in hydrogen storage material.

They will each lead two separate, although aligned, research areas of the cluster:

• hydrogen generation and end use
• hydrogen storage.

The cluster aims to initiate research that could potentially break through the major technical barriers to the use of hydrogen as a fuel, leading to the hydrogen economy.

These barriers include:

• cost-effective generation from renewable sources or fossil fuels with systems that minimise greenhouse gas emissions as well as local air pollutants
• storage for use in transport and remote area applications
• cost-effective utilisation systems - for hydrogen utilisation the focus world-wide is on the development of cost-effective fuel cell systems.

Resources

As part of the A$305 million provided by the Australian Government to the National Research Flagships over seven years, A$97 million was allocated specifically to enhance collaboration between CSIRO, Australian universities and other PFRAs.

Over the next three years the NHMA cluster will receive A$9.6 million from this allocation.

Partners in the Alliance

The following universities and PFRAs are all involved in the cluster research program:

• The University of Queensland (with the role of lead university), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
• Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
• Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia
• Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• Newcastle University, New South Wales, Australia
• Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
• Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne
• The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales
• The University of Sydney, Sydney
• The University of Wollongong, New South Wales
• Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).

Read more about the Flagship Collaboration Fund overview.