The transition towards a climate-neutral economy by 2050, driven by the European Green Deal and the international commitments of the Paris Agreement, positions hydrogen as a key energy vector for the decarbonisation of industry, mobility and energy systems. In this context, and aligned with the Basque Hydrogen Strategy and other regional initiatives such as the Basque Hydrogen Corridor, ONTZHi-II addresses the need to develop technological solutions that enable the safe, efficient and sustainable deployment of the hydrogen economy.
ONTZHi-II focuses on the research and development of advanced technologies to improve the safety, sustainability and efficiency of hydrogen storage, distribution and transport.
The project addresses critical challenges associated with the use of hydrogen in infrastructure and storage systems, including the embrittlement of metals and welds, hydrogen permeation and leakage, material degradation, and the need to develop more sustainable lightweight tanks. To this end, ONTZHi-II will investigate hydrogen barrier coatings for both metallic and composite materials, as well as new materials, manufacturing processes and recycling strategies applicable to Type IV tanks for mobility applications.
The project will also deepen the understanding of hydrogen–material interaction mechanisms through predictive computational models and simplified mechanical characterisation techniques. As a result, ONTZHi-II will contribute to the design of protection solutions and new hydrogen storage systems, culminating in at least two laboratory-scale demonstrators: a hydrogen barrier coating demonstrator and a sustainable Type IV tank demonstrator.
CIDETEC’S role in the project:
CIDETEC Surface Engineering participates in the project through the development of duplex metal/ceramic coatings that act as hydrogen diffusion barriers on metallic substrates intended to operate under exposure to high hydrogen gas pressures. To achieve this, it investigates the hydrogen permeability of these coatings through electrochemical permeation testing and Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GD-OES).
Within ONTZHi-II, CIDETEC Surface Engineering also evaluates the protective effect of metallic coatings developed in the previous project, ONTZHi (2023–2025), through mechanical testing under electrochemical hydrogen charging conditions. In addition, it is developing a methodology based on advanced acoustic emission analysis for the early detection and monitoring of hydrogen embrittlement in metallic materials of interest to the hydrogen transport and distribution sector.