Abstract: HydroGEN (https://www.h2awsm.org/) Energy Materials Network (EMN) a Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) consortium that aims to accelerate the discovery and development of advanced water splitting materials (AWSM) for sustainable, large-scale hydrogen production, and to more effectively enable the widespread commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, in line with the H2@Scale initiative (https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/h2-scale), and meet the ultimate cost target for production set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at $2/kg H 2 . HydroGEN EMN is a six national laboratories consortium comprises National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) - lead, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). With the rollouts of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) by major automotive manufacturers underway, enabling AWS technologies for the widespread production of affordable, sustainable hydrogen becomes increasingly important. The HydroGEN Consortium offers more than 80 materials capabilities nodes to help address RD & D challenges in efficiency, durability and cost. The capabilities span computational tools and modeling, materials synthesis, characterization, process manufacturing and scale-up, and analysis. Detailed descriptions of all the HydroGEN nodes are available in a searchable format on the HydrogGEN website (https://www.h2awsm.org/capabilities), including information such as the host National Lab, the capability experts, and a synopsis of the node’s unique aspects and capability bounds. By design, the nodes are cross-cutting, and any given node may be useful for one or several advanced water splitting (AWS) technologies. Leveraging the HydroGEN consortium’s staff of technical experts and broad collection of resource capabilities is expected to advance the maturity and technology readiness levels in all the AWS technologies, including low- and high-temperature electrolysis, photoelectrochecmical (PEC) and solar thermochemical (STCH) routes, which includes hybridized thermochemical and electrolysis approaches to water splitting. Currently, there are 20 HydroGEN seedling projects, and one project focused on benchmarking advanced water splitting technologies. These 21 new projects utilized over 40 unique capabilities across the six HydroGEN core labs. HydroGEN is indeed a national innovation ecosystem that comprises 11 national labs, 7 companies, and 30 universities. The experimental and computational data generated within HydroGEN are stored and shared within and across projects within the secured HydroGEN Data Hub (https://datahub.h2awsm.org/), which currently comprises 128 users and 3889 data files. The goal is to make the digital data generated within HydroGEN accessible, so the data can be shared and leveraged throughout the EMNs and in future programs. This presentation will provide an overview of the HydroGEN EMN consortium and highlight some low temperature water electrolysis projects. Proton Onsite met and exceeded near-term performance targets of 1.85V (achieved 1.8 V) at 2.0 A/cm 2 , using Proton-synthesized high activity IrRu oxide catalysts of different compositions. The Proton PEM water electrolysis cell also demonstrated 800 hours of durability at 2 A/cm 2 , operating at 80°C and 30 bar. This project utilized NREL’s ex-situ characterization node towards a better understanding of IrRu oxide catalysts stability. Proton’s improved cell efficiency is a step towards achieving its PEM water electrolysis cell efficiency goal of 43 kWh/kg (1.7 V at 90°C) and at a cost of $2/kg H 2 . Collaboratively, LANL, SNL, and NREL demonstrated promising alkaline exchange membrane water electrolysis performance, comparable to iridium oxide, using SNL Anion Exchange Membrane node, LANL-developed PGM-free oxygen evolution reaction perovskite catalyst, and NREL’s expertise in membrane electrode assembly fabrication (Multicomponent Ink Development, High-Throughput Fabrication, and Scaling Studies node) and cell electrolysis testing (In-Situ Testing Capabilities for Hydrogen Generation node). ANL, together with the LLNL Ab Initio Modeling of Electrochemical Interfaces and LBNL Density Functional Theory and Ab Initio Calculations nodes, investigated the factors that may alter the transport property of a cobalt-based oxygen evolution reaction catalyst, developed by ANL for proton exchange membrane electrolysis. The LLNL team found the origin of the discrepancy between the reported experimental and theory-derived electronic structure of cobalt oxide. This resulted in the confidence to choose a specific theory that can provide reliable information about the electronic structure of the cobalt oxide materials family. This is crucial to reliably identify the factors that determine the transport property of this material, which affects the overall catalytic activity. HydroGEN looks forward to growing its membership of industry, university and laboratory collaborators that can partner with member-laboratory experts by way of CRADAs and potential future FOAs. Moving forward, HydroGEN will expand its presence in the AWS community through working group meetings and participation at relevant professional meetings.

Abstract: Harnessing the power of the sun to produce energy-rich chemicals from abundant resources offers the promise of providing a plentiful supply of sustainable solar fuels to meet future U.S. energy needs. Opportunities for producing strategically-important solar fuels include hydrogen from water, hydrocarbon fuels from carbon dioxide and hydrogen/water, and ammonia from di-nitrogen and hydrogen/water. Most fuels are currently produced from fossil resources using energy-intense high temperature processes, but advanced processes for fuel synthesis utilizing sunlight in conjunction with air and water can provide critical supplements to help meet near- and longer-term energy demands. Most pathways for solar fuels rely heavily on the availability of an abundant and sustainable hydrogen supply. More generally, synthetic fuels production is an important end-use sector supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) H2@scale initiative. Specific challenges and opportunities for a new generation of solar fuels production will be discussed in the context of H2@Scale as well as other DOE efforts including the Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub and the HydroGEN Energy Materials Network Consortium on Advanced Water Splitting Materials.

Abstract: Dedicated to accelerating the research and development (R & D) of advanced water splitting (AWS) technologies for renewable, low-cost hydrogen production, HydroGEN (https://www.h2awsm.org/) is one of seven of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Materials Network (EMN) consortia. HydroGEN comprises six core national laboratories and focuses on four AWS pathways: low- and high-temperature electrolysis, photoelectrochemical, and solar thermochemical water splitting. The consortium provides streamlined access to world-class expertise and experimental and computational capabilities. Current activities span 20 university, industry and national laboratory R & D projects which seek to discover and design new materials, increase the efficiency and durability of water-splitting systems, and advance manufacturing and scale-up efforts. Further, HydroGEN is committed to connecting the AWS research community by developing a data platform for secure data transfers and public data sharing as well as supporting the development of comprehensive best practices and benchmarking methods.

Abstract: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports research, development, and demonstration of fuel cell technologies for transportation, stationary, and crosscutting applications. Applied, early-stage fuel cell research and development (R & D) efforts predominantly focus on stack materials and components to achieve low-cost, high performance fuel cell systems, and include longer term technologies, such as alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs). More favorable oxygen reduction kinetics and increased platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalyst stability at high pH conditions have invigorated interest in alkaline membrane fuel cells as an alternative to polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), on which fuel cell electric vehicles currently available for retail sale are based. The catalyst accounts for 〉 40% of the projected high-volume stack cost in PEMFC electric vehicles, owing largely to the inclusion of PGMs [1]. Achieving cost competitiveness with internal combustion engine vehicles could be expedited by eliminating PGM-based catalysts; AMFCs offer a promising route for successfully incorporating state of the art PGM-free catalysts into membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). In addition, improved alkaline exchange membranes (AEMs) have crosscut benefits to applications beyond fuel cells, including electrolysis for hydrogen pr oduction and reversible fuel cells. Alkaline membrane R & D is targeted to increase conductivity over a wider range of operating temperature and relative humidity and to increase membrane mechanical, chemical, and thermal stability with diminished fuel crossover. In 2016, an expert-led workshop on AEMs was convened by the DOE based on intense interest in the field [2]. There was consensus on the need for AEM-specific standardized protocols and testing and for further improvement in MEA performance. Furthermore, the profound lack of readily available, stable AEMs or ionomers for high pH MEAs must be addressed in order to expand entry into the field and foster more rapid progress in AMFC development. In order to increase coordination in the polymer electrolyte membrane community (including AEMs) to accelerate R & D success in fuel cells and other devices (electrolyzers, redox flow batteries, etc.), the FCTO has recently organized the National Laboratory-led Membranes Working Group. Stable, conductive polymer materials and durable hydrogen oxidation catalysts are key to realizing commercially relevant AMFCs. This presentation will highlight recent advancements in AMFCs in the DOE R & D portfolio include increasing performance and durability in perfluorinated and hydrocarbon-based ionomers, increasing cation group stability, diminishing catalyst deactivation due to ionomer-catalyst interaction, and PGM-free MEA performance of 350 mW/cm 2 . This presentation will also provide an outlook on future activities. References: [1] B. D. James, J. M. Huya-Kouadio, C. Houchins, D. A. DeSantis, "Mass Production Cost Estimation of Direct H 2 PEM Fuel Cell Systems for Transportation Applications: 2017 Update," Strategic Analysis, Inc., 2017. [2] U.S. Dept. of Energy. "2016 Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cell Workshop Report," Phoenix, AZ. April 1, 2016.

Abstract: The emergence of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies offers the nation important and potentially transformative cross-sectoral economic, environmental and energy security benefits that are being explored through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) H2@scale initiative. Through H2@Scale, DOE is partnering with more than twenty companies as well as America’s national laboratories to realize hydrogen as a flexible, scalable, nationwide energy carrier, complementing the electric grid in service of major energy, industry and transportation sectors. In recent years, early-stage research and development supported by DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office has contributed substantially to the advancement of important hydrogen and fuel cell technologies which are critical to the H2@Scale vision. One example has been the research efforts to develop multiple pathways for large-scale hydrogen production from diverse domestic resources through the HydroGEN Consortium on Advanced Water Splitting Materials, which is part of the DOE Energy Materials Network. HydroGEN research efforts leverage state-of-the-art methods in theory, computation, experimentation, analysis, and data informatics in the discovery and development of efficient and durable materials for hydrogen production through innovative electrochemical, solar-thermochemical and solar-photoelectrochemical pathways. Recent HydroGEN activities and progress in areas of electrochemical water splitting will be described and discussed in the context of H2@Scale.

Abstract: The emergence of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies offers the world important and potentially transformative environmental and energy security benefits. In recent years, research sponsored by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) has made significant contributions to the development of these technologies. With major automotive manufacturers rolling out commercial fuel-cell electric vehicles, enabling technologies for the widespread production of affordable hydrogen are becoming increasingly important. FCTO’s Hydrogen Production Program supports a broad range of hydrogen production pathways using diverse feedstocks, ranging from nearer-term to longer term technologies. One of the more versatile pathways is based on splitting water via either electrolytic, photoelectrochemical, or thermochemical routes. For these advanced water splitting (AWS) technologies, there are tradeoffs amongst efficiency, durability, and cost at the materials, device, and system levels that need to be balanced for low cost hydrogen production. Recent advances have been made in catalytic materials for AWS to improve these attributes; however, further developments, from new materials to scale-up of state-of-the-art (SOA) materials, are required to reach large scale technoeconomic viability. Research innovations to advance the SOA in AWS materials are being facilitated by the DOE “HydroGEN” Energy Materials Network (EMN) consortium. An overview of FCTO’s Hydrogen Production Program activities with a focus on catalysts for advanced water splitting technologies and the HydroGEN consortium will be provided.

Abstract: The Energy Materials Network (EMN) is a Department of Energy (DOE) network of national lab-led consortium aimed at accelerating the development and commercial deployment of novel materials by enhancing the accessibility of unique material research resources at the national laboratories to external stakeholders, such as academia and industry. The HydroGEN EMN was launched in October 2016 by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO). HydroGEN (https://www.h2awsm.org/) EMN is a six-lab consortium, led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). It currently comprises six core national laboratories: NREL, Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). HydroGEN aims to accelerate the discovery and development advanced water splitting materials (AWSM) for sustainable, large-scale hydrogen production, in order to more effectively enable the widespread commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. With the rollouts of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) by major automotive manufacturers underway, enabling AWS technologies for the widespread production of affordable, sustainable hydrogen becomes increasingly important. Hydrogen is a unique energy carrier in that it can be produced from a number of diverse pathways, utilizing a variety of domestically available feedstocks, including natural gas, biomass, and water. Advanced water splitting (AWS) technologies, including advanced electrolysis (low and high temperature), photoelectrochecmical (PEC) and solar thermochemical (STCH) routes, are some of the more versatile pathways, and will play a significant role in long-term, high volume sustainable production. The HydroGEN Consortium offers an extensive collection of materials research capabilities for addressing RD & D challenges in efficiency, durability and cost. Leveraging the HydroGEN Consortium’s staff of leading technical experts and broad collection of resource capabilities is expected to advance the maturity and technology readiness levels in all the advanced water splitting technologies. In June 2017, DOE EERE FCTO announced the award of 18 new HydroGEN seedling projects, and one project focused on benchmarking advanced water splitting technologies. These 19 new projects utilized 44 unique capabilities across the six HydroGEN core labs. Furthermore, it is a nationwide R & D effort that comprises 10 national labs, 6 companies, and 22 universities. This presentation will provide an overview of the HydroGEN EMN consortium and highlight some of the advanced water electrolysis projects that are focused on hydrogen and oxygen evolution catalysis.

Abstract: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is supporting a wide range of research and development efforts that fall under the umbrella of low temperature electrolysis (LTE). These efforts range from early stage R & D on cell components to demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating MW-scale electrolyzer systems with the electric grid to provide ancillary services. LTE is included in multiple initiatives led by the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Low temperature electrolysis is one of four pathways being supported under DOE’s HydroGEN Energy Materials Network (EMN) Consortium on Advanced Water Splitting Materials (AWSM) for H 2 production. The HydroGEN EMN offers an extensive collection of materials research capabilities at 6 core national laboratories for addressing AWSM R & D challenges in efficiency, durability, and cost. The LTE work supported under HydroGEN includes early stage R & D in membranes and catalysts for both PEM and AEM electrolysis. Low temperature electrolysis also has a role in DOE’s H2@Scale energy system vision. This initiative is bringing together diverse stakeholders to advance affordable wide-scale hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization to unlock revenue potential and value across multiple sectors. The use of low-cost electricity to affordably split water into hydrogen and oxygen is central to implementation of the H2@Scale concept. Work is also being carried out on electrolyzer manufacturing, benchmarking, protocol development, and technoeconomic analysis. An overview of FCTO-supported activities related to these initiatives and topics, and the role of LTE in them, will be provided.

Abstract: Accelerating the discovery and development of novel materials is essential for the U.S. to compete globally in key energy sectors throughout the 21st century and beyond. In support of its priorities in energy-materials innovation, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established the Energy Materials Network (EMN) as a network of application-specific consortia that facilitate industry and academia access to the unique and world-class resources at the national laboratories in materials theory, computation, experimentation, analysis, and data informatics. EMN consortia have been established to address a broad range of materials challenges in specific energy-related applications such as platinum-group-free catalysts for fuel cells, advanced water-splitting materials, breakthrough materials for hydrogen storage materials and carriers, next-generation catalysts for bio-fuels and products, light-weight materials to revolutionize the transportation sector, and new module materials to support and enable the large-scale deployment of photovoltaics. The EMN model along with recent scientific accomplishments from individual EMN consortia will be discussed.