The Future of Hydrogen Sensing: Chemical and Biological Breakthroughs

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogen is emerging as a clean and sustainable energy carrier, playing a central role in the global transition toward carbon neutrality. With its expanding use in energy generation, storage, transportation, and industrial processes, ensuring safe and reliable hydrogen detection has become essential for preventing hazards, improving system performance, and enabling real-time monitoring across a wide range of environments. Given the rapid scaling of hydrogen infrastructure—including storage facilities, pipelines, refueling stations, and fuel cell systems—advanced sensing technologies are urgently needed to support safe and resilient deployment.

This Special Issue, “The Future of Hydrogen Sensing: Chemical and Biological Breakthroughs,” aims to highlight recent advances and emerging trends in hydrogen sensing technologies from both chemical and biological perspectives. The focus is placed on the convergence of materials science, biotechnology, and engineering, with particular emphasis on hybrid chemical–biological sensing platforms that offer enhanced selectivity and functionality. The scope includes novel sensing materials, advanced nanostructured materials, catalytic systems, and hybrid systems, as well as innovative approaches such as bio-inspired and enzyme-based sensors. Concrete examples of target technologies include Pd-based nanostructures, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), catalytic thin films, optical fiber sensors, enzyme-based detection systems, and wearable hydrogen sensors.

Contributions focusing on room temperature operation, low power consumption, enhanced sensitivity and selectivity, long-term stability, and real-time monitoring are particularly encouraged. Additionally, studies on hydrogen sensor integration into smart and connected systems, PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers, wearable platforms, and industrial safety applications are also within the scope of this Special Issue. Furthermore, emerging technological drivers such as AI-assisted signal processing, machine learning‑based leak prediction, and digital twin monitoring systems are increasingly relevant and papers on these subjects are therefore welcome as they represent next‑generation solutions for hydrogen safety.

This Special Issue seeks to bring together interdisciplinary research that bridges fundamental science and practical applications, offering insights into next-generation hydrogen sensing technologies for energy, environmental, and safety applications.

We invite researchers to contribute original research articles and review papers on this Special Issue and share their latest developments and perspectives with the hydrogen research community.

Dr. Sonalika Agarwal
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Hydrogen is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.