Membrane Technologies in Hydrogen Separation and Purification
A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications for Gas Separation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 1259
Special Issue Editor
Interests: hydrogen; membrane separation; membrane reactors; palladium; process intensification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The increasing strategic relevance of hydrogen as a clean energy vector, driven by ambitious decarbonization roadmaps and the necessity of developing hydrogen-based industrial value chains, has intensified global interest in advanced separation and purification technologies. Among these, membrane-based systems have consolidated their role as a central enabling technology, offering highly efficient, compact, and energy-intensified solutions critical to ensuring hydrogen delivery at suitable grades for fuel cells, synthesis pathways (e.g., NH3, MeOH), or advanced catalytic processes.
In this context, this Special Issue, “Membrane Technologies in Hydrogen Separation and Purification”, aims to provide an updated and comprehensive overview of current breakthroughs and future directions in membrane science and engineering for hydrogen purification. The scope encompasses fundamental materials development, innovative fabrication approaches, and system-level integration of membrane units across the hydrogen value chain, from primary production (reforming, gasification, pyrolysis) to process intensification via membrane reactors, or independent downstream purification and upgrading units for industrial off-gas streams.
Recent progress in dense metallic membranes (i.e., Pd-based alloys and alternative materials), mixed-matrix formulations, ceramic and proton-conducting membranes, and polymeric and facilitated-transport structures, as well as emerging two-dimensional architectures, is redefining performance limits in terms of permeance, selectivity, tolerance to contaminants, and long-term stability. At the same time, novel engineering strategies (including modular designs, hybrid separations, multistage configurations, and techno-economic optimization) are paving the way toward industrial deployment with lower costs and enhanced environmental sustainability. From this perspective, the objective of the Special Issue is to gather high-quality contributions that elucidate the mechanisms governing hydrogen transport and membrane degradation, present robust experimental or modeling-based advances in membrane development, demonstrate innovative process concepts and system integration, or showcase relevant industrial case studies and pilot-scale experiences. Original research articles, critical reviews, perspectives, and short communications are warmly welcomed.
I sincerely hope that all potential contributions will stimulate discussion, inspire new collaborations, and ultimately support the broader adoption of membrane-based technologies as a cornerstone of the hydrogen economy.
Prof. Dr. David Alique
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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.
Keywords
- hydrogen purification
- hydrogen separation technologies
- proton-conducting membranes
- palladium membranes
- ceramic membranes
- polymer membranes
- mixed-matrix
- dense membranes
- porous membranes
- membrane reactors
- process intensification
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