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Advanced Hydrogen Systems Lab
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A lab that produces hydrogen and generates electricity from it, designing electrode layers starting from the materials.
AboutAbout the lab
Producing hydrogen and generating power from it
The Advanced Hydrogen Systems Lab studies hydrogen energy as one means of making effective use of renewable energy toward a decarbonized energy society.
The lab covers both hydrogen production by water electrolysis, which links renewable energy and hydrogen, and fuel cells, which convert hydrogen into electricity.
In both, the electrode layer where the reactions take place determines performance, so the lab designs these electrode layers starting from the materials.
Besides the materials themselves, such as catalysts, porous carbon supports, and proton conductors, the lab also develops methods to evaluate the role of each separately.
Key terms
- Water electrolysis
- Splitting water by passing electricity through it to obtain hydrogen and oxygen
- Electrocatalyst
- A material that helps reactions proceed on an electrode. In fuel cells, fine platinum particles are often used
- Catalyst support
- A base material that holds and supports fine catalyst particles. Carbon powder is often used
ResearchResearch themes
The lab mainly studies fuel cells for automobiles. In particular, it focuses on the electrocatalyst that determines performance, and investigates a material consisting of fine platinum particles on spherical carbon from the perspectives of both how it is made and how it degrades.
*Illustrative imageWatching how catalysts degrade
Using a field-emission transmission electron microscope, the lab captured the degradation process of electrocatalysts through in situ observation. It observed platinum particles on the carbon surface sinking into the interior of the carbon, and identified platinum burial as one degradation mechanism.
*Illustrative imageUsing carbon with nanoscale pores
Porous carbon with nanometer-sized pores is used as the support. Placing platinum particles inside the pores suppresses their aggregation and improves the performance and durability of the electrocatalyst.
*Illustrative imageGraphitizing only the carbon surface
One mechanism of catalyst degradation is the oxidation of the carbon support. The lab works on graphitizing only the carbon surface to increase durability against this oxidation.
*Illustrative imageRunning fuel cells at high temperature
One way to raise efficiency is operation at high temperatures of around 100°C to 120°C. However, higher temperatures also accelerate catalyst degradation, so the lab actually operates cells at high temperature to identify the problems. Cross-sections are cut out with a focused ion beam, and three-dimensional images of the electrode are reconstructed for analysis.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Advanced Hydrogen Systems Lab consist of faculty, technical staff, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.
- ProfessorAkari Hayashi
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Giant prominence on the sun erupted” NASA/SDO/AIA/Goddard Space Flight Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Watching how catalysts degrade: “Dominican Amber housing an Insect” LucasFassari / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Using carbon with nanoscale pores: “Pumice stone detail444” Benjamint444 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Graphitizing only the carbon surface: “Graphite (Ceylon) 36” James St. John / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Running fuel cells at high temperature: “Convecting-candles” Andrew Davidhazy / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (水素製造プロセス研究室): “Unterschiedliche Keramische Multikanalelemente” Peter in s / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (燃料電池システム研究室): “Volvo FH fuel cell testing (2023)” Anders Jubilson / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (水素適合材料・破壊学研究室): “Toyota Mirai high-pressure hydrogen tank SAO” Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (水素利用プロセス研究室): “Billings Hydrogen Bus” Warren K. Leffler / Public domain (cropped)
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