Shell Hydrogen B.V., a division of the Shell Group, and a global leader in establishing the hydrogen economy, has entered into a joint development project with Ilika Technologies Ltd, the materials discovery company, to develop materials suitable for the solid-state storage of hydrogen.
One of the key barriers to the adoption of hydrogen as a fuel is finding safe and economical solutions for onboard and stationary storage. While cryogenic storage and the use of compressed gas cylinders have been used in pilot projects, a safer and more efficient method could use solid-state storage methods involving the combination of metal alloys with hydrogen, which can reversibly combine with, and release, hydrogen.
Ilika specialises in combinatorial technology for rapidly creating and screening materials relevant for hydrogen storage. This involves the combination of metal alloys with hydrogen to form metal hydrides, which can reversibly combine with, and release, hydrogen.
Jack Boyer, Ilika’s Chairman, stated: "We are pleased to combine our research capabilities with those of Shell. Our collaboration model has proven fruitful with other major customers and we fully expect a successful technical and commercial outcome to this project."
Notes to Editors:
Shell Hydrogen, a Shell Group business set-up in 1999, has its headquarters in The Hague and regional offices in Huston and Tokyo. Its goal is to bring hydrogen into a retail setting through the knowledge and expertise gained from demonstration projects located across three continents.
Ilika specialises in the development and application of high-throughput, combinatorial R&D techniques for the accelerated discovery of new materials. In particular, Ilika has the capability of creating, as well as characterising, vast numbers of inorganic materials deposited using either physical vapour deposition or chemical vapour deposition techniques as well as the capability of generating and screening thousands of bio-compatible polymers. Consequently, the main markets that Ilika has chosen to focus upon include the energy, electronic and biomedical sectors. Ilika engages with customers through research collaborations, technology development projects and through licensing of materials which Ilika has developed.
