Hydrogen (H2) is regarded as a clean, efficient, and sustainable secondary energy, which can be obtained from traditional fossil fuel or renewable energy sources (wind, solar and tide electricity, etc), and be widely used in industry, transportation and construction. The multiple production and application ways of hydrogen energy will break the single conversion mode of traditional energy such as coal-electricity, becoming the interconversion point and coupling center of the energy source system. Besides, hydrogen produces only water upon combustion, which is conducive to the deep decarbonization of terminal energy consumption. Therefore, the development of hydrogen energy technology has become an important strategy for the innovation of multi-energy supply systems based on the green energy.
Hydrogen energy technology mainly includes three important steps: hydrogen production, storage & transportation, and applications. Catalytic process plays a significant role in each step. For example, most hydrogen production methods involve typical catalytic conversion processes, such as electrocatalytic water splitting, steam reforming and shift reaction. In terms of hydrogen transportation, H2 can be charged and discharged using a catalytic reaction pair through the dehydrogenation of cycloalkanes and hydrogenation of the corresponding aromatics. For hydrogen application, catalyst material is the key part of polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) as the main hydrogen terminal.
To sum up, the activity and efficiency of catalysis reactions are pivotal factors limiting the development of the hydrogen energy field. Therefore, the main object of this research topic is to develop advanced catalytic materials and processes, provide deep insights into catalysis chemistry, and share novel surface and interface engineering strategies. The above research results are excepted to greatly promote the technologies of hydrogen production, storage & transportation, applications, and so on. We welcome submissions in the forms of Original Research, Review, Mini-Review, and Perspective. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Catalytic material and process in hydrogen production;
• Catalytic material and process in hydrogen storage & transportation;
• Catalytic material and process in hydrogen applications;
• DFT calculation and kinetic analysis in hydrocatalytic process;
• Techno-economic and life-cycle analyses of the catalytic process in hydrogen energy technology.
Keywords: hydrogen, catalysts, catalytic process, reaction kinetics, DFT calculation
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
