Materials of the hydrogen sector - Storage and transportation

Following a first part devoted to materials involved in hydrogen production and conversion, this second part focuses on materials used for hydrogen transport and storage.

Hydrogen is already commonly stored in hyperbaric cylinders and transported in pipeline networks for applications in the chemical, steel and petrochemical industries. However, its deployment in the context of an environmentally-friendly hydrogen economy significantly alters the specifications of these two stages. The cost of transporting and distributing hydrogen is still too high, while the volume capacity of hydrogen tanks is a major technological obstacle to its use as an automotive fuel.

The specific requirements of each of these two applications are reviewed, and the selected materials, their main properties and their application are introduced. Finally, the current challenges specific to the various materials and applications are presented.