The role of palladium in a hydrogen economy

Abstract

We are facing accelerated global warming due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. A hydrogen-based economy is one potential approach toward maintaining our standard of living while lowering carbon dioxide emissions. Palladium is a unique material with a strong affinity to hydrogen owing to both its catalytic and hydrogen absorbing properties. Palladium has the potential to play a major role in virtually every aspect of the envisioned hydrogen economy, including hydrogen purification, storage, detection, and fuel cells. Major aspects of current research and potential applications of palladium-based nanomaterials in various hydrogen technologies are presented in this review.