Chemical Innovation in Hydrogen and Alternative Molecule Energy Solutions

Hydrogen-based energy is a rapidly advancing field at the forefront of the global transition toward sustainable energy systems and carbon neutrality. As an emerging sector of strategic importance, the development of hydrogen and its congeners—such as ammonia and alcohols—holds the potential to transform energy security, revolutionize industrial processes, and elevate standards of living through environmentally conscious solutions. Despite significant progress in the past decade, realizing a full-scale hydrogen economy requires fundamental breakthroughs in the chemistry underlying the entire energy value chain, spanning production, storage, transport, and end-use. Current research faces challenges related to efficiency, safety, scalability, and the integration of multidisciplinary approaches for comprehensive energy solutions.

Recent studies have pushed the envelope in areas ranging from electrocatalytic water splitting and biomass conversion to next-generation storage materials and the deployment of fuel cell technologies. Significant advances in materials chemistry and molecular engineering have enabled new pathways for hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohol utilization, supported by the evolution of advanced analytical techniques and device architectures. However, many barriers remain, such as improving the cost-effectiveness and selectivity of production, enhancing storage densities, ensuring safe handling, and tailoring materials for robust long-term use. Ongoing debates concern the best feedstocks, environmental trade-offs, and system designs needed to meet net-zero goals.

This Research Topic aims to catalyze interdisciplinary collaboration and spark innovative developments in the chemical sciences that underpin hydrogen-based energy systems. By facilitating knowledge exchange from energy, materials, and environmental chemistry, the initiative seeks to deepen the mechanistic understanding of hydrogen-related processes and establish a strong academic foundation for technological breakthroughs. The Research Topic also aspires to uncover novel theoretical principles and practical applications supporting the safe, efficient, and sustainable deployment of hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohols as key energy vectors.

To gather further insights in the multidisciplinary chemistry underpinning hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohol-based energy systems, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Production of hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohols from diverse feedstocks

o Storage and transportation strategies for hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohols

o Fuel cells and utilization technologies for hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohol systems

o Novel materials and devices for the hydrogen energy economy

o Chemical fundamentals of hydrogen safety, detection, and regulation

o Advanced characterization techniques for hydrogen storage and conversion processes

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: -

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.