Researchers, recently, have gone ahead and developed the first g-HIB battery in world – which is gas-solid hydride ion prototype battery – with hydrogen gas and a metal as the electrodes.
The battery cannot just power electrical appliances but also realise efficient hydrogen storage at room temperature and pressure via a unique hydrogen-electricity co-storage mechanism.
The research, which was led by Prof. CHEN Ping at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics – DICP of the Chinese Academy of Sciences – CAS, was released in Joule in May, 2026.
One of the most significant obstacles that hinder the widespread implementation of hydrogen energy technologies is hydrogen storage. The traditional approaches require extreme conditions such as high-pressure compression of almost 700 atmospheres or cryogenic liquefaction at −253 °C which lead to high energy usage and safety concerns as well as increased complexity of the system. Therefore, the development of a secure, effective, and practical hydrogen storage technology that can function under the most ambient conditions is necessary for an eventual hydrogen economy.
Hydride ions – H- are the electron-rich form of hydrogen and happen to be highly reactive as well as energy dense, consequently announcing charge carriers for future all-solid-state batteries. Yet, their intrinsic unstable nature under ambient conditions has long blocked their practical implementation for electrochemical energy storage.
In the present study, a series of novel hydride ion electrolyte materials were synthesised in order to accomplish stabilisation of hydride ion conduction, which has been a priority of CHEN’s group since 2018. The team disclosed the first low-temperature ultrafast hydride ion conductor and the first all-solid-state hydride ion prototype battery in the years 2023 and 2025, respectively. Creating on these developments, the researchers have suggested the idea of a gas-solid hydride ion battery.
In this work, the team built the initial g-HIB using magnesium metal and hydrogen gas as both positive and negative electrode active materials, respectively. When it comes to discharge, hydrogen is degraded to hydride ions at the positive electrode, and magnesium is oxidised to magnesium hydride in the negative electrode. The reverse process happens at the time of charging, which enables parallel storage of hydrogen and electricity.
This first g-HIB battery in world combines hydrogen storage capacity with a theoretical capacity that outstrips the best-known battery systems. The findings from the experiments indicated that the battery had a maximum initial discharge capacity of 1,526 mAh g-1 throughout hydrogen charging. Almost 6.0 wt% of hydrogen, which is based on MgH2 in the electrode was discharged at room temperature under 0.3 V. The capacity retention was higher than 70% after 60 cycles, and the battery was stable over a broad range of temperatures of −20 °C to 90 °C.
In addition, a pair of stacks of ten single cells produced an output voltage of over 2.4 V and powered an LED light, which gave birth to the gas–solid hydride ion prototype battery.
The team also showed noteworthy energy efficiency benefits in comparison with traditional thermal hydrogen storage methods. In common Mg/MgH 2 thermal storage systems, hydrogenation calls for significant heat to be eliminated, while dehydrogenation calls for temperatures of about 300 °C. The g-HIB, however, transforms the heat released at the time of hydrogenation straight away into electrical energy while employing electrical energy to power hydrogen release. The overall energy efficiency is 93.9%, which is approximately one third greater compared to that of standard thermal hydrogen storage systems.
The researchers said the study has found a new way to navigate one of the most enduring obstacles in hydrogen energy storage. The technology could as well pave the way for next-generation hydrogen storage systems, cutting out the requirement for extreme pressure or even cryogenic conditions.
For instance, the g-HIB could as well go on to serve as an effective hydrogen storage unit in hydrogen-powered drones, functioning at ambient conditions and greatly increasing flight longevity.
As per Chen, “Our future work will focus on developing higher-performance hydrideion conductors and electrode materials to further improve battery performance and accelerate the practical deployment of hydrideion battery technologies for hydrogen energy applications.”