Skirting around the Transition State

As the availability of fossil fuels and their impact on the environment receive ever increasing attention, there is a global push towards the development of energy systems that make use of alternative forms of chemical energy. Of the many interesting possibilities, the hydrogen molecule holds a place of particular prominence due to its very clean combustion. In the proposed Hydrogen Economy, this well-known gas becomes the centre of an energy cycle that could be employed in the powering of anything from buildings to cars to mobile phones.