Sustainable Chemistry and Hydrogen as Pillars of the Energy Transition

Abstract

Clean hydrogen, as an energy vector and a sustainable chemical feedstock, is a pillar of the energy transition and key contributor to meeting the targets for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and thereby to building a climate-resilient society.

Reaching these objectives requires us to ensure viable materials solutions for implementation of hydrogen technologies in the short term, while also addressing the long-term requirement of safeguarding the sustainability of the hydrogen sector through a radical reconsideration of the criticality of the chemistries, materials and components.

Deborah Jones

Deborah Jones (B.Sc., Ph.D. University of London, King's College) is Director of Research at CNRS at the Institute for Molecular and Materials Chemistry in Montpellier (ICGM), of which she was associate director 2015-2020. Her interests encompass the development and operando characterisation of hydrogen energy materials in particular for proton and anion exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolysers. Author/co-author of > 250 publications, and inventor on 17 patents related to fuel cell and electrolyser materials, she is a former vice-president of the International Society of Electrochemistry, Fellow of the Electrochemical Society (2015), recipient of the Sir William Grove award of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (2016) and of the Schönbein Gold Medal (2023). Experienced EU collaborative project coordinator, other of her responsibilities in European research include those of chair of the ERC PE4 Consolidator Grants panel and former vice-chair of the Scientific Committee of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking. Deborah is associate director of the Occitanie Region "Key Challenge" on Clean Hydrogen gathering all academic research laboratories working on hydrogen topics in the Occitanie region, and director of the Laboratoire Commun between CNRS-ICGM and Michelin, on Sustainability of Materials and Processes for the Hydrogen Sector since its inception in July 2022.