Shize Song , Shuang Peng , Cunxiu Zhang , Qinsong Wu , Xuejun Cui , Yanhui Zhao , Xianghong Wang , Deen Sun
{"title":"Optimization of tantalum nitride coatings for fuel cell bipolar plates: balancing corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity through phase composition tuning","authors":"Shize Song , Shuang Peng , Cunxiu Zhang , Qinsong Wu , Xuejun Cui , Yanhui Zhao , Xianghong Wang , Deen Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.181","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.181","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To enhance the corrosion resistance and conductivity of fuel cell bipolar plates, tantalum nitride coatings were prepared using magnetron sputtering under different nitrogen atmospheres. The coatings’ phase composition was examined through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The evaluation of corrosion resistance was conducted utilizing an electrochemical workstation, while contact resistance was evaluated using a contact resistance tester. First-principles calculations, along with experimental findings, suggest that the electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance are predominantly influenced by the relative proportions of the two phases, TaN and Ta<sub>2</sub>N. Coatings with a higher content of the TaN phase exhibit better corrosion resistance with corrosion current density 1.99 × 10<sup>−7</sup> A cm<sup>−2</sup>, whereas coatings with a higher content of the Ta<sub>2</sub>N phase demonstrate improved electrical conductivity with interfacial contact resistance 2.65 mΩ cm<sup>2</sup>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 407-419"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144177606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bingyao Niu , Liang Chen , Zixin Zhang , Hongyu Lv , Jie Qu , Shanfeng Li , Ze Zhang , Shuangtao Chen , Yu Hou
{"title":"Optimization and analysis of a novel 30 TPD hydrogen liquefaction system with a two-phase hydrogen turbo-expander","authors":"Bingyao Niu , Liang Chen , Zixin Zhang , Hongyu Lv , Jie Qu , Shanfeng Li , Ze Zhang , Shuangtao Chen , Yu Hou","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.352","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.352","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydrogen liquefaction has aroused substantial attention because of various applications in hydrogen storage and transportation. A hydrogen liquefaction system employing tetra-path circulating hydrogen refrigeration is proposed with a two-phase hydrogen turbo-expander. The system is established in Aspen HYSYS and optimized through genetic algorithm. The results show that when the liquid fraction at the last turbo-expander outlet increases from 0 to 15.5 %, the refrigerant volume flow rate flowing into the proposed system cold box is reduced by 43.2 %, which will contribute to decreasing the size of the cold box within hydrogen liquefaction systems. The sensitivity and exergy analysis are conducted to evaluate the liquefaction performance. The specific energy consumption (SEC), coefficient of performance (COP), and exergy efficiency (EXE) of the system with a liquid fraction of 15.5 % at the two-phase hydrogen turbo-expander outlet are 10.03 kWh·kg<sub>LH2</sub><sup>-1</sup>, 13.14 %, and 34.65 %, respectively. The system has superior performance compared with similar systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 551-562"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144178248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yu Wang , Chengcai Wei , Haitao Li , Shoutong Diao , Jiachen Wang , Yihao Yao , Minggao Yu
{"title":"Effect of ignition position height and equivalence ratio on the risk and explosion dynamics of premixed hydrogen-air gas in confined space","authors":"Yu Wang , Chengcai Wei , Haitao Li , Shoutong Diao , Jiachen Wang , Yihao Yao , Minggao Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.309","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.309","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To investigate the effects of ignition position height and equivalence ratio on the explosion intensity and safety risks of hydrogen-air mixtures, a series of experiments were conducted in a horizontal visualized square duct. The explosion characteristics and flame propagation behaviors were analyzed under different conditions. A flame area difference factor was introduced to quantify the asymmetric flame distribution caused by ignition height variations. Heat loss mechanisms from flame-wall interactions were examined, and a grey correlation analysis determined the contribution weights of key parameters to explosion hazards. A hazard index model was applied to assess risk levels. Results show that middle ignition leads to the most intense explosion due to concentrated energy release, minimal propagation resistance, and reduced heat loss. Lower ignition follows, while upper ignition presents the lowest risk. This study provides insights into ignition effects on hydrogen explosions, offering theoretical support for the safe design of hydrogen facilities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 429-438"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144178251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Diptanu Dey, Raj Chakraborty, Punam Das, Diptanu Das
{"title":"Synergistic optimization of titanium dioxide-assisted photoelectrolysis for solar-driven hydrogen-rich gas production","authors":"Diptanu Dey, Raj Chakraborty, Punam Das, Diptanu Das","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.370","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.370","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition to renewable energy demands innovative, scalable methods for sustainable hydrogen production. This study investigates the synergistic effects of Titanium Dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>), Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), and Carbon Nanoparticles (CNPs) in optimizing solar-driven photoelectrolysis for Hydrogen-Rich Gas (HHO) generation. Under natural sunlight (610–673 W/m<sup>2</sup>), an optimal combination of 0.45 M TiO<sub>2</sub>, 0.27 M KOH, and 0.011 mg/L CNPs yielded a peak HHO production rate of 310.73 ± 17.26 mL/min. Polynomial regression modelling revealed non-linear saturation effects and guided system optimization. Comprehensive material and surface characterizations (XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS) confirmed structural integrity and favourable TiO<sub>2</sub>–CNP interactions. Optical and electrochemical analyses (UV–Vis DRS, PL, TRPL, EIS, photocurrent) indicated enhanced light absorption and interfacial charge transfer. Photothermal monitoring, including infrared thermal imaging, confirmed a localized temperature rise of approximately 8.5 °C in the TiO<sub>2</sub>–CNP system, contributing to enhanced charge kinetics and overall system efficiency. Repeated cycling trials demonstrated <3.2 % variation, confirming operational stability. Compared to existing systems, the proposed configuration achieves higher HHO output using low-cost, noble-metal-free components under ambient solar conditions. This work advances the practical application of TiO<sub>2</sub>-assisted photoelectrolysis and offers a viable route toward affordable, scalable green hydrogen generation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 464-472"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144177582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Electrochemical preparation of Ni–Mo alloy catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction based on benzyl alcohol and ethylene glycol mixed solvents","authors":"Xinkuai He, Genfa Zeng, Jingjing Yang, Yiren Li, Luye Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.304","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.304","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The electrochemical reduction behavior in the preparation of Ni–Mo alloy catalysts using benzyl alcohol (BA) and ethylene glycol (EG) mixed solvents is studied via CV. These studies indicate that the mechanism of Ni–Mo co-deposition corresponds to a typical induced co-deposition mechanism, in which Ni<sup>2+</sup> can facilitate the Mo<sup>6+</sup> reduction while Mo<sup>6+</sup> can suppress the Ni<sup>2+</sup> reduction in the mixed solvents. SEM micrographs reveal that these Ni–Mo alloy catalysts exhibit dense structures composed of 'hillock'-shaped granules, and the size of these granules can be tuned by adjusting the Mo content. XRD pattern reveals that the Ni–Mo catalysts present a nanocrystalline structure with an average crystallite size of 48.7 nm. The experimental data demonstrate that increasing the Mo content in the Ni–Mo alloy catalyst from 5.36 to 11.62 wt% significantly enhances the HER performance. Particularly, the catalyst containing 11.62 wt% Mo demonstrates superior catalytic efficiency in 1 M KOH, requiring an overpotential of merely 58 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 333-342"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144178185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Farhad Firouzy, Mortaza Yari, Vahid Zare, Faramarz Ranjbar, Ali Akbar Darabadi Zare
{"title":"Development and thermodynamic analysis of a biogas-assisted steam methane reforming process combined with a supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle for power, hydrogen, and heat production","authors":"Farhad Firouzy, Mortaza Yari, Vahid Zare, Faramarz Ranjbar, Ali Akbar Darabadi Zare","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.376","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.376","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rising global energy demand, driven by rapid industrialization, exacerbates environmental challenges stemming from fossil fuel dependence, including CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and air pollution. Renewable energy sources, alongside hydrogen production, are being actively investigated to address these concerns. Currently, steam methane reforming (SMR) is the dominant method for hydrogen generation. This study aims to develop a more efficient and environmentally benign SMR system, leveraging biogas as a sustainable energy source for heating for the endothermic reaction. This system integrates a supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> Brayton cycle for waste heat recovery, aiming to improve thermodynamic efficiency. A technical feasibility assessment, grounded in the principles of both the first and second laws of thermodynamics, is performed. Comprehensive thermodynamic models are developed to analyze component-level irreversibilities and evaluate the system's overall energetic, exegetic, and environmental performance. Parametric analysis shows that raising the steam to carbon (S/C) ratio and reforming temperature makes hydrogen production improved, but lowers net power output. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the developed system is capable of achieving high energy and exergy efficiencies of 84.96% and 59.89%, respectively, with a hydrogen generation rate of 1.35 ton/hr. Furthermore, the combustion chamber exhibits the highest exergy destruction, accounting for over 64% of the total system irreversibilities. The main heat exchanger and reformer subsequently demonstrate significant exergy destruction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 519-531"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144177470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yinglong Zhang , Zhennan He , Zeyad Almutairi , Xinyu Zhang , Yuhui Lu , Xiaodai Xue , Ning Qin , Pei Zhao
{"title":"Discovery of a foreign-gas barrier effect for mitigating hydrogen corrosion and its enhancement approach: A multiscale modeling study","authors":"Yinglong Zhang , Zhennan He , Zeyad Almutairi , Xinyu Zhang , Yuhui Lu , Xiaodai Xue , Ning Qin , Pei Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.288","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.288","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydrogen corrosion is a critical challenge to H<sub>2</sub>-containing equipment and needs to be well addressed in light of the booming hydrogen-energy industry. Herein, based on the molecular dynamics and density functional theory, we report the discovery of a foreign-gas barrier effect that foreign gases (CH<sub>4</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>, N<sub>2</sub> or NH<sub>3</sub>) tend to accumulate near metal (Fe, Cu, Al, Cr, and Ni) surfaces and effectively keep metals and H<sub>2</sub> apart. This effect is magnified at reduced H<sub>2</sub> concentrations and can be instrumental in mitigating hydrogen corrosion if well utilized. To take better advantage of this effect, specific surface coatings (e.g., graphene) are proven useful in boosting it by amplifying affinity differences between metal surfaces and gases. Moreover, based on computational fluid dynamics, it is found that special macroscopic structures, such as novel coaxial flow designs used for H<sub>2</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub> blending pipelines, can enhance this microscopic effect by yielding much lower near-wall H<sub>2</sub> concentrations than conventional T-pipes. This work provides important and enlightening findings for the design and protection of hydrogen-energy equipment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 286-297"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144177614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Passivity-based control for methane steam reforming in nuclear cogeneration systems","authors":"Junyi Li, Zhe Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.367","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.367","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a passivity-based control design for methane steam reforming reactors, focusing on ensuring system stability and improving dynamic performance. A deviation-based dynamic model is developed for control design, incorporating thermodynamic properties to achieve energy-efficient regulation. The proposed passivity-based control framework leverages entropy production metrics and a carefully constructed storage function to assess and ensure the system's passivity. The control design guarantees the negative definiteness of the rate of change of the storage function along the closed-loop system dynamics, and is applied to a hydrogen production plant in a nuclear cogeneration system to verify the control design. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the PBC approach in maintaining reformer stability and enhancing operational efficiency under varying disturbances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 473-482"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144177466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"AI-driven revolution in subsurface gas storage: Addressing operational and environmental challenges","authors":"Ravikumar Jayabal","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.260","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.260","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning (ML) models such as artificial neural networks (ANNs), support vector machines (SVMs), and deep learning architectures, is revolutionizing subsurface gas storage (SGS) by enabling predictive modelling and operational optimization. This study applies a hybrid AI approach integrating deep learning with geostatistical reservoir simulations to assess operational performance and environmental risks. A case study involving a depleted gas reservoir in Western Europe demonstrates the methodology's effectiveness. Results show that AI-assisted models improve storage capacity prediction accuracy by 18 %, reduce leakage detection time by 35 %, and enhance injection optimization by 22 % compared to conventional methods. Integrating real-time pressure, temperature, and geophysical data with AI models improves risk assessment reliability. These findings underscore the value of AI in supporting safer, more efficient hydrogen and natural gas storage systems. The proposed framework offers a scalable solution adaptable to various geologic settings and storage technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 298-314"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144178139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhibo Dong , Wei Jia , Yan Ma , Yunjing Shi , Kaixuan Zhao , Haichen Wan , Xiaolong Chen , Qinglong Xian , Hongli Wu
{"title":"Self-reconfiguration of catalyst surface to CoNiOOH for efficient overall water splitting","authors":"Zhibo Dong , Wei Jia , Yan Ma , Yunjing Shi , Kaixuan Zhao , Haichen Wan , Xiaolong Chen , Qinglong Xian , Hongli Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.333","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.05.333","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rational doping of heteroatoms is expected to exhibit durable and efficient performance in alkaline electrocatalytic hydrolysis reactions. In this study, a highly stable catalyst with a sandwich structure was successfully prepared by doping a low amount of ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles on the surface of nickel foam (NF) and further covered with CoMoO<sub>4</sub>. Thereafter, activated Co(Ni)OOH-MoO<sub>3</sub>-Ru<sub>20</sub>/NF-C/A electrodes are prepared via electrochemical self-assembly. The resulting electrode exhibited excellent electrochemical performance in a bifunctional catalytic system, and a continuous hydrolysis reaction for 100 h was achieved at constant current densities of 10 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> and 100 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> with operating voltages of 1.538 and 1.82 V, respectively, showing good catalytic activity and total hydrolytic stability. Moreover, the prepared electrodes show similar activity and stability even when operated in seawater. This study reveals the dynamic evolution law of the active sites of the electrocatalyst during the self-reconfiguration process and its performance regulation mechanism, which provides an important theoretical basis for the development of efficient and stable electrocatalytic systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":337,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Hydrogen Energy","volume":"140 ","pages":"Pages 194-203"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144177581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}