Hydrogen can be used as a conventional fuel in engines or boilers or reacted electrochemically with oxygen in a fuel cell to produce electricity. Whether burned in a combustion process or processed in a fuel cell, hydrogen represents a versatile and exceptionally clean energy carrier.

Research underway at Sandia covers all of these potential uses of hydrogen. Researchers are:

• Investigating novel polymer electrolyte membranes that would enable enhanced fuel cell performance
• Developing a compact power source—a bio-micro fuel cell—that could utilize diverse fuels such as glucose, methanol, and hydrogen
• Developing advanced combustion capabilities for hydrogen in gas turbine applications
• Developing advanced, conventional internal combustion engines, as well as engines using a free-piston, linear alternator configuration
• Investigating novel proton exchange membrane fuel cell catalysts