aluminium show|The Materials Institute of Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco) has been granted four advanced aluminum alloy invention patents for hydrogen energy applications by the National Intellectual Property Administration

Recently, four invention patents jointly applied by the Materials Application Research Institute of Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco) and China Aluminum Group High-End Manufacturing Co., Ltd. have been granted authorization by the National Intellectual Property Administration. This essentially forms a patent portfolio layout for the group in the field of advanced aluminum alloy materials and performance evaluation for hydrogen energy applications, providing technical support for enhancing the group's core competitiveness in strategic emerging fields such as new energy and new materials.

According to the aluminium show, hydrogen energy is a major strategic direction for global energy technology revolution and transformational development, with hydrogen storage and transportation being key constraints for the large-scale application of hydrogen energy. The main methods of hydrogen storage include high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage, low-temperature liquid hydrogen storage, solid hydrogen storage, and organic liquid hydrogen storage. Currently, the most mature and widely used method is gaseous hydrogen storage, with key components such as the inner liner of hydrogen storage tanks and bottle neck combination valves made of aluminum alloy. To further reduce storage and transportation costs, it is necessary to increase the mass hydrogen storage density and improve hydrogen storage pressure. This not only requires materials to have higher strength to withstand loads but also requires attention to the hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity of materials during long-term service in high-pressure hydrogen environments to ensure safe and reliable transportation and usage processes.

With the support of Chinalco's high-end key R&D projects, the Materials Institute of Aluminum Corporation of China has overcome the challenge of simulating the diffusion rate and distribution status of hydrogen atoms under actual service conditions, which is difficult to achieve with conventional electrochemical methods. They have developed a rapid evaluation method to achieve rapid and accurate evaluation of the high-pressure hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity of materials. Through multi-scale microstructure design, they have developed new anti-hydrogen embrittlement materials that meet the strength requirements under ultra-high hydrogen pressure conditions of over 70 MPa, resulting in the authorization of four national patents. The successful development of new materials and hydrogen embrittlement testing methods can provide solutions for predicting the serviceability of critical aluminum alloy materials and components in the field of hydrogen energy. They have significant potential applications in scenarios such as hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks, commercial vehicles, and military communication tools.