Department of Chemical & Process EngineeringStrathclyde Incubator for Green Hydrogen Technologies (SigH₂t)

Inspiration

Green hydrogen is a transformative energy vector revolutionizing the global energy landscape. Produced through water electrolysis using renewable energy sources, green hydrogen is a clean and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

Its versatility is its strength: it can be used in a wide array of applications, from powering vehicles to industrial processes, offering a viable path to decarbonize sectors that have proven challenging to transition to renewable energy. It promises to reduce our carbon footprint whilst reshaping our energy infrastructure, creating green jobs, and paving the way for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

About Us

Strathclyde Incubator for Green Hydrogen Technologies (SigH2t) provides a space in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering where academics from the University of Strathclyde and beyond can develop and test new innovations, accelerating their route to market.

State-of-the-art synthesis facilities, high-throughput characterisation suites, and rapid prototyping capabilities will provide a pipeline to higher technology readiness levels, feeding into other facilities such as the Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC), the National Manufacturing Institute of Scotland (NMIS), the Hydrogen Accelerator, or enabling industry collaboration.

 

Our team

Dragos Neagu

Dr Dragos Neagu is a Senior Lecturer, Chancellor’s Fellow. He is experienced in the fields of materials and devices for renewable energy conversion, hydrogen production, carbon dioxide electrolysis, environmental and carbon catalysis, oxide ion transport membranes, supported molten carbonate membranes for carbon dioxide separation. He has over 30 journal publications, including five in the prestigious Nature family journals and two in Energy and Environmental Science. His work has accrued over 2000 citations leading to an H-index of 12 (Google Scholar, 2021). He also holds 3 international patents.

Stephen Lyth

Dr Stephen Lyth is Chancellor’s Fellow in Sustainable Energy. He previously spent 16 years in Japan where he ran an independent research group specialising in materials for hydrogen applications. In 2019 he received the prestigious NICE-STEP Researcher Award for significant contribution to science and technology. He has a thriving international network, with Visiting Professor positions across the World and has published with numerous international partners. His research is broad, with over 100 published papers and book chapters. He has worked with multiple industry players in Japan and has delivered many invited or keynote presentations around the globe. 

Ed Brightman

Edward Brightman

Dr Edward Brightman has research interests in electrochemical energy devices and systems, particularly flow batteries and hydrogen production from alternative feedstocks such as biomass. His background is in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, having previously worked as a senior research scientist at the National Physical Laboratory (2011-2015) and as R&D manager at Enocell Ltd (2016-2019) developing innovative methanol and PEM fuel cells. He specialises in diagnostics and characterisation of devices for understanding and mitigating degradation, and in device engineering for new energy storage chemistries.  

Ashleigh Fletcher

Sudipta Roy

Xiaolei Zhang

Jun Li

Yi-chieh Chen

Karen Johnston

Miguel Jorge

Leo Lue

Paul Mulheran

Vitor Magueijo

Our Projects Include:

  • Innovative catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells and electrolysers
  • Sustainable membranes for electrochemical applications
  • Novel materials for highly efficient solid oxide and fuel cell and electrolyser designs
  • Low-cost green hydrogen generation integrated with carbon capture and utilisation
  • Earth-abundant materials for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production
  • Photocatalysis combined with Fischer-Tropsch processes for sustainable aviation fuels;
  • Alternative feedstock exploitation such as waste biomass, seawater and biogas;
  • Materials for hydrogen storage and processes for conversion into chemical feedstocks;
  • Scalable REDOX flow battery and hybrid / reversible fuel cell technologies;
  • Advanced diagnostic tools for manufacturing quality, operando defect detection, durability testing, and device lifecycle analysis.

Facilities

Synthesis

Pressure reactors, fume hoods, wet-lab space, ovens, furnaces, chemical storage, hot plates, rotary evaporation, planetary ball milling, centrifuge, sonication

Characterisation

Microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), nitrogen/carbon dioxide gas adsorption analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, rheometric analysis, membrane test systems, Raman spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, cyclic voltammetry, rotating ring disk voltammetery, temperature programmed reduction/oxidation, adsorption analysers, etc

Manufacturing

Homogeniser, catalyst deposition, electrode manufacture, spray coater, membrane caster, 3D printer, machining workshop, hot presses, sintering furnaces.

Device Testing

Fuel cell test station, electrolyser test station, REDOX flow test station, impedance analysers, and cell holders.

Virtual Modelling

Access to ARCHIE Supercomputer, COMSOL modelling package, density functional theory (DFT) know-how, molecular dynamics experts.

News and Events

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Contact Strathclyde Incubator for Green Hydrogen Technologies (SigH2t) 

We regularly host visits from industry, academia and government. To arrange a tour of our facilities, please contact us, and our business development team will be in touch.

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