Address: EduardMaristany, 16. 08019 Barcelona
Telephone: +34 93 4137368
E-mail: jordi.llorcaupc.edu

Technical Director: Jordi Llorca Piqué
Technicians: Montserrat Domínguez Escalante, Albert Casanovas, Lluís Soler Turu, Isabel Serrano, Alejandra Castedo Rodriguez, Xènia García, Gerardo Gómez Millán, Ilaria Lucentini, Lester Martínez, Lourdes Rodríguez Chiang

• The aim of the hydrogen laboratory is to provide support to energy development research activities and to promote contacts with companies interested in using hydrogen for energy applications.
• To encourage technological transfer with companies interested in the use of hydrogen and fuel cells for energy applications.

• Preparation and evaluation of catalysts for hydrogen production from conventional fuels and biofuels.
• Preparation and evaluation of catalysts for selective oxidation reactions and elimination of atmospheric pollution.
• Characterisation of catalysts and nanoparticles with advanced techniques such as high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), photoelectronic x-ray spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy(AFM).
• Design, modelling and building of catalytic wall reactors and microreactors for hydrogen generation in portable applications.
• Functional study of silicon structures with micro fuel cells in applications related to electronic consumer goods.
• Development of membrane reactors for the simultaneous production and separation of hydrogen for fuel cells in cell phone applications.
• Design, modelling, control and construction of hydrogen reformers in decentralised generation applications for fuel cells.

The laboratory is equipped with equipment for the preparation of catalysts, nanoparticles and other materials and for carrying out thermal treatment under controlled atmospheres. It has fixed bed reactors for continuous thermal reactions, batch reactors, membrane reactors, catalytic wall reactors and microreactors. It also has complete reaction systems with follow-up controlled by mass spectrometry and gas chromatography. This provides on-line control of waste products. There is also a FTIR spectrometer for the follow-up of reactions at a given pressure and temperature, a BET device in order to determine surface areas, and a TPR/TPO/TPD system to study redox characteristics and solid adsorption.

The laboratory is involved in active collaboration with numerous research centres, universities and companies. Among the work that is done with other research groups, the following institutions should be mentioned; The Chemical Science and Technology Department of the University of Udine (Italy), the Institute of Industrial Robotics (IRI), the Chemical Engineering Institute of the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), the Department of Inorganic Chemistry of the University of Barcelona (UB), the Department of Electronic Engineering of the UPC, the Department of Chemistry of Aberdeen University (UK) and the Department of Chemistry of the Univeristy of Ohio (USA)- The research group in Hydrogen Technology also has links with the Nanoparticle Laboratory of the Nanoengineering Research Centre of the UPC (CRnE).