Hub for Hydrogen-Materials Interaction Research Infrastructure (H2MIRI)

Mitigating climate change is among the highest priorities of mankind. Phasing out fossil fuels throughout the value chain in energy production, industry and transport is a necessity.

Hydrogen is one of the most promising potential alternatives.

However, replacing carbon-based feedstocks will inevitably change the processes and materials; this may have catastrophic consequences on the performance and lifetime of materials used in load-bearing and other critical components.

Although the transition towards hydrogen economy is taking place extremely rapidly, very little is known about the hydrogen-materials interactions and the effects of hydrogen on materials properties and performance, thus materials may become a bottleneck for hydrogen transition.

The Hub for Hydrogen-Materials Interaction Research Infrastructures (H2MIRI) is established to address these issues.

The three partners: University of Oulu (UO), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (VTT) and Tampere University (TAU) update their research infrastructures (RIs) with locally unique capabilities to accelerate new materials and processes for hydrogen economy and connect them under a single virtual hub of national importance.

The three RIs will include the first ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy setup in Finland (UO), a state-of-the-art time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (VTT), hydrogen and multipurpose tribometers (VTT, TAU), a unique axial-torsion load frame (TAU) and an in-situ FE-SEM (TAU).

Together, the RIs will provide the methods for detecting hydrogen, understanding its interactions with and effects on atoms, defects and their arrangements within the materials, and quantifying its effects on material properties and performance.

This will strengthen the established roles of the partners, formed based on the local industry structure.

A virtual hub will be established for outreaching external stakeholders, information and data sharing, training, and connecting users, RIs and experts in a single portal for fast and easy access.

H2MIRI will significantly strengthen the experimental capabilities, know-how and expertise of host institutions, which will directly benefit the local and regional stakeholders, particularly industry, and improve their competitiveness in the growth markets of hydrogen economy.