Protons and the hydrogen economy
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Commentary Protons and the hydrogen economy
Qianli Chen, State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, University of Michigan–Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China Artur Braun, Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Empa. Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical & Energy Systems Laboratory, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea Address all correspondence to Artur Braun at [email protected] (Received 9 August 2017; accepted 15 November 2017)
ABSTRACT As materials science is becoming components development and systems technology, hydrogen economy is approaching your porch. Welcome! Hydrogen mobility can now be purchased from the shelf. Fuel cell electric vehicles from various well-known car manufacturers are now available. The number of hydrogen filling stations in Europe is increasing at a rate that long-distance tours become less and less adventurous. The efforts of fuel cell researchers have paid off. Suppliers of components and systems for hydrogen infrastructure are anticipating business. Meanwhile, basic science in electrochemistry and materials research is continuing, with surprises such as the discovery of a proton polaron which are adding to the progress in fundamental understanding of energy materials in operation. Has the long awaited hydrogen economy finally arrived? Keywords: hydrogenation; energy storage; neutron scattering
DISCUSSION POINT • H ydrogen economy is not impeded by scientific or technological shortcomings. The challenge is only one of political, social, and ultimately mental nature. Competition against traditional energy carriers is the challenge.
Introduction Hydrogen is, still, the most abundant matter in the universe. Unimaginably, astronomically long times warrant that physical processes with extremely small probability such as proton tunneling eventually manifest in the proton–proton reaction where two hydrogen nuclei approach each other so close that they melt into a deuterium nucleus and further react to a helium nucleus. Subsequent chain reactions cause radiative energy release in the MeV range.1,2 Our sun is a hotspot, one hundred million miles away in safe distance from the Earth, where the proton–proton reaction has taken place for 4 billion years and will continue so for the next 4 billion years to come. About 95% of our energy
supply today on our planet derives from the energy which we receive from the sun.3 Given this size of the matter, is there any doubt that our current Terawatt Challenge4 can be met? Access to energy is a precondition for economical welfare and for social welfare. While fossil fuels and nuclear power dominate world energy supply, renewable energy has an increasing share in the energy mix. Fear for global warming with gross scenarios such as a new mass extinction of species6 or flooding and droughts has helped increase efforts in sustainable developmen
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