Research is focused primarily on the sustainable generation of hydrogen from waste biomass and encompasses a number of different methods and techniques. The Unit of Functional Bionanomaterials has developed a process for the efficient production of biohydrogen from organic wastes and is currently developing the system for integration with anaerobic digestion. The process combines dark fermentation and photofermentation to maximise the potential for hydrogen production. The Supercritical Fluid Technology Group is developing new pilot-scale supercritical processes that will allow the direct conversion of lignocellulose in biomass into hydrogen or simple sugars, which can then be converted into biofuels or fine chemicals. Fluidised bed and circulating fluidised bed pyrolysis and gasification technologies are being developed by the Biomass Gasification Group for the production of hydrogen and other biofuels from waste biomass. The Chemical Reaction Engineering Group specialises in the design of catalysts and reactors for hydrogen evolving reactions such as dry reforming of methane, and hydrogen consuming reactions such as hydrogenation of soybean oil and other unsaturated hydrocarbons. The group is also involved in the development of adsorbents for carbon capture. Research in the Wills group at Warwick is concerned with the development of methods for the generation of hydrogen from a variety of organic materials, including biomass. Recent research has led to the design and evaluation of several organometallic catalysts which are effective at the conversion of formic acid into hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide. We are examining the extension of this work to alcohols, carbohydrates and biomass as hydrogen sources.

Hydrogen storage

The Hydrogen Materials Group has over 30 years experience in the investigation and exploitation of hydrogen-materials interactions. The group’s main activities involve the development of new materials for membranes that produce ultra-pure hydrogen and for powders that can efficiently store large amounts of hydrogen. Research areas include new materials and processing routes for the production of advanced hydrogen storage materials, hydrogen processing of materials, novel membrane materials for hydrogen purification and separation, and hydrogen energy demonstration systems such as the PROTIUM hydrogen fuel cell canal boat project.

The Hydrogen Storage Chemistry Group has an extensive ongoing programme dedicated to the discovery, synthesis and primary characterisation of new potential hydrogen storage materials, for use either in safe hydrogen delivery systems or reversible hydrogen stores (see picture). Examples of approaches employed by the group include:

• The chemical activation of magnesium hydride to achieve fast absorption–desorption kinetics, without recourse either to mechanical milling or the addition of a precious metal catalyst

• The modification of the decomposition pathway of lithium amide in favour of hydrogen rather than ammonia, through the substitution of borohydride anions for one quarter of the amide anions to produce the first example of a new class of amide-borohydride materials.

Fuel Cells

The Fuel Cells Group has been working in the field of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) for many years and is now commencing research and development in the field of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) and Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) technology. The group is internationally recognised for its expertise in fuel cells technologies. The major FCG research areas are in the:

• Performance and durability of SOFCs and PEMFCs for domestic and automotive applications
• Development of Fuel Cells demonstration projects
• Development of novel MEA and sub-components (individual multi-layer) for PEMFC
• Design and optimisation of Micro-SOFC for use on hydrocarbon fuels
• Modelling of Single Chamber Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SC-SOFCs)
• Development of novel nano-sized electrocatalysts materials by chemical synthesis, microwave and sonoelectrochemistry

Advanced characterisation techniques

NMR can provide insight into problems related to components of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). This rapidly developing and key technology in new systems for energy delivery is utilised by the Solid-State NMR Group. The PEMFC have distinct challenges associated with different components, explicitly the membrane material and the electrodes. Perfluorinated membranes are of much interest and questions relating to initial structural features, structural degradation and proton mobility can all be probed by solid state NMR. Relaxation time and other dynamical NMR measurements on 1H can be used to determine parameters governing proton motion in such materials. Carbon-supported platinum-based (e.g. Pt, PtRu, PtMo, PtRh) catalysts often act as electrode materials in fuel cells. The materials are often poorly ordered and difficult to characterise. 195Pt NMR can be developed, especially the use of field sweep techniques. The often heterogeneous nature of these materials means that the small particles encountered can have both metallic and oxide components. The distribution between such components and changes in these particles with processing/operation may be quantified using NMR techniques. The Ferroelectrics and Crystallography Group is currently involved in monitoring the uptake and release of hydrogen from novel nonlinear optical phosphate storage materials.