Johnson Matthey (JM) and Diffusion Alloys, a specialist diffusion coatings producer, are partnering to scale-up production and enable the increasing demand for low-carbon hydrogen used to reduce global carbon emissions.

By partnering, JM and Diffusion Alloys will share their areas of expertise and ensure a robust supply chain for the coated components deployed in JM’s low- carbon (blue) hydrogen offering.

Diffusion Alloys has more than 60 years’ experience providing diffusion coating for hydrogen and other clean energy technologies. The coatings protect the equipment in aggressive operating conditions and prevent metal corrosion. It has embarked on a multi-year strategy to develop its capabilities and capacity globally to meet the supply chain scale-up challenge.

Hydrogen corrosion (also called hydrogen embrittlement), occurs when hydrogen atoms diffuse into a metal; diffusion coating puts a protective layer on the surface of the metal to hinder the diffusion of hydrogen atoms into the metal lattice.

Low carbon (blue) hydrogen is an important growth area for Johnson Matthey. JM’s LCH technology enables the production of hydrogen with up to 99% CO? capture. The technology has been chosen for several significant projects around the world including H2H Saltend with Linde and Equinor, a 600-megawatt low carbon hydrogen production plant in the Humber, UK; HyNet, a leading UK industrial decarbonization project; and a large-scale low carbon hydrogen project in North America.