UNSW researchers have redesigned hydrogen fuel cells to solve a critical flaw, bringing clean energy for aviation, heavy transport and beyond closer to reality. Hydrogen fuel cells, using locally produced green hydrogen as the only fuel, have long been viewed as the ultimate clean energy source, but their commercialization has been difficult.

A multidisciplinary team from UNSW, led by Dr. Quentin Meyer and Professor Chuan Zhao from the School of Chemistry, has managed to make hydrogen fuel cells much more efficient, paving the way for their commercialization.

“Hydrogen fuel cells generate clean electricity with water as the only byproduct,” says Dr. Quentin Meyer, a Senior Research Fellow in Prof. Zhao’s team, and first author of the research published in the journal Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy.