Researchers at Sandia and Pacific Northwest national laboratories are leading a collaborative 

effort to investigate how hydrogen affects materials such as plastics, rubber, steel and aluminum.

The Hydrogen Materials Compatibility Consortium, or H-Mat, will focus on how hydrogen affects 

polymers and metals used in diverse sectors including fuel cell transportation and hydrogen 

infrastructure. Researchers at Oak Ridge, Savannah River and Argonne national laboratories, as 

well as in industry and academia, are also part of the collaboration. The effort supports the U.S. 

Department of Energy H2@Scale initiative, which aims to advance hydrogen utilization for energy 

production and storage as well as industrial processes.

"The advanced computational capabilities, unique experimental facilities and scientific expertise 

at the national laboratories will provide enhanced understanding of the interactions of hydrogen 

gas with polymers and metals," said Chris San Marchi, Sandia materials scientist and co-lead for 

the consortium. "The goal is to improve materials reliability in hydrogen infrastructure for large 

scale use of hydrogen as an energy carrier."