A Review on Applicability, Limitations, and Improvements of Polymeric Materials in High-Pressure Hydrogen Gas Atmospheres

Typically, polymeric materials experience material degradation anddamage over time in harsh environments. Improved understandingof the physical and chemical processes associated with possibledamage modes intended in high-pressure hydrogen gas exposedatmospheres will help to select and develop materials well suited forapplications fulfilling future energy demands in hydrogen as anenergy carrier. In high-pressure hydrogen gas exposure conditions,damage from rapid gas decompression (RGD) and from aging inelastomeric as well as thermoplastic material components is unavoid-able. This review discusses the applications of polymeric materials ina multi-material approach in the realization of the “Hydrogen econo-my”. It covers the limitations of existing polymeric components, thecurrent knowledge on polymeric material testing and characteriza-tion, and the latest developments. Some improvements are sug-gested in terms of material development and testing procedures tofill in the gaps in existing knowledge in the literature.