It is anticipated that hydrogen, as a sustainable source of energy, will be a vital component in any low-pollution energy economy. There is a staggering potential for applying this technology. For instance, fuel cells can generate heat and electricity in domestic power supply at total energy efficiencies ranging up to 80 per cent. The necessary hydrogen can be provided by reforming natural gas before regenerative energies have been expanded to the point of producing hydrogen without release of CO2. A large number of fuel cell cogeneration plants together form a »distributed power plant« while mobile fuel cells combined with electrical motors function as low-pollution drive aggregates for automobiles, trucks, buses and trains. 

Utilities and heating equipment manufacturers are accelerating the market for natural gas reformers where there is a great deal of interest shown in reforming liquid fuels for APU (auxiliary power units). However, in the long term, the focus will have to be on using regenerative fuels since that boosts ecological utilization. Biomass gasification is also emerging as a promising option while catalyst optimization will become increasingly important in the getting-tomarket phase. 

The following are surfacing as the major challenges in material development for fuel cell technology: 

• membranes, catalysts and structural materials for fuel cells such as PEM, MCFC or SOFC fuel cells
  
• membranes, catalysts and structural materials for electrolysis  
  
• materials for hydrogen reservoirs (pressure-, metallic hybrid- and nanomaterial-storage)
  
• materials and catalysts for reforming hydrocarbons
  

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