Advancing hydrogen research with CSIRO fellowship
Associate Professor Surbhi Sharma's work will look at how cutting-edge hydrogen technology can be used in regional Australia.
A Federation University researcher has been awarded a prestigious CSIRO fellowship that supports early to mid-career hydrogen researchers in progressing their careers by spending time in world-class labs and institutions.
Associate Professor of Hydrogen Technologies in the Centre for New Energy Transition Research (CfNETR) Surbhi Sharma has joined CSIRO's International Hydrogen Research Fellowship Program and will spend five months in 2025 at leading hydrogen research centres in India and South Korea.
The fellowship will allow Assoc Prof Sharma to work on hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysers — the devices that use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. She will develop and test materials and components for application in these systems. The work will also examine how cutting-edge technology can be used in regional Australia.
"These are quite complex interdisciplinary technologies and the systems are made up of many complex components," Assoc Prof Sharma said.
"The work will include the development of cheaper and sustainable catalyst and electrode materials for electrolysers. We have also upcycled carbon from waste resources that we plan to use in these technologies for collaborative studies in India."
In India, Assoc Prof Sharma's time will be split between the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M).
Work at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) will involve durability testing of environmentally friendly, biodegradable membrane materials in fuel cells which are aimed at replacing environmentally harmful fluorinated polymers currently used as membranes in all electrochemical energy systems including batteries and fuel cells.
"This work is focussed on applying approaches aligned with circular economy principles – how we can improve the technology while minimising costs, utilising waste resources and ensuring the sustainability of hydrogen production and utilisation technologies," Assoc Prof Sharma said.
"This fellowship also presents an opportunity to understand how we can develop and use high-end equipment and bring that knowledge back – to expand the research, education and training on hydrogen tech here in regional Australian settings. I will be working with my Korean and Indian counterparts to develop collaborative research, knowledge sharing and shared educational programs for continued interactions beyond this fellowship."
Assoc Prof Sharma's interest in hydrogen technologies began while completing her PhD in the United Kingdom. She then worked at the University of Birmingham's Centre for Doctoral Training in Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Research where she turned her focus to hydrogen fuel cell technologies. Fuel cells use the chemical energy of hydrogen to produce clean electricity.
She says her interests expanded into the many components constituting the hydrogen fuel cell systems, allowing her to explore research on developing better and cheaper components.
Having worked in the UK and collaborated with institutions across the EU, Assoc Prof Sharma says the fellowship is an opportunity to grow her hydrogen research networks across Southeast Asia.
The research and new collaborations will also allow her to expand on her existing portfolio of work, giving her access to hydrogen-related facilities and other resources that are not as common in regional Australia.
"We don't have easy accessibility of all the equipment and facilities we need for hydrogen research in regions here yet. This is an opportunity to expand my research profile and develop collaborations. This will help Federation grow its academic and industry network for hydrogen research and education as well," Assoc Prof Sharma said.
"Everybody understands that fossil fuel-based technologies are not something we can continue with – there is a climate crisis and there are also other limitations associated with fossil fuels.
"Hydrogen is one of the many technologies in this space, and whether it is hydrogen, wind, solar, or battery, these are all evolving technologies. However, hydrogen as an energy carrier has its set of advantages that complement solar and wind energy and is an essential technology in the energy transition portfolio."
Assoc Prof Sharma says battery and solar technologies are currently leading the way and have become accepted by consumers who are now familiar with the concepts of what they are, even if they may not fully understand the science behind them.
"As all these technologies are evolving, there is an extensive need for continuing research to make these technologies more efficient and cheaper as we move towards net zero targets," she said.
"When we talk about the use of hydrogen in the transport sector – which is one of many applications of hydrogen – it's actually similar to petroleum products in the way it can be used.
"For the transition to hydrogen, you need refuelling stations, not charging points, that can access the existing electricity and power supply networks. This means we need a complete infrastructure change before people can start buying hydrogen-based vehicles to run on the road.
"Of course, this will bring a significant cost and the technology itself is quite expensive at the moment, hence the need for research and development. These peripheral requirements make the adoption and transition to hydrogen technologies a little more difficult compared to something like batteries."
Associate Professor Sharma will begin the fellowship in India in March.