The focus of research at the Center for Energy Research (CER) is on Hydrogen technologies development. Research and Development is being pursued in all the three major areas of Hydrogen Economy viz.

Hydrogen Production Hydrogen Storage Hydrogen Utilization

The major research work is on developing Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell. The research programs at CER are supported by Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Limited (SPIC Ltd.) and many Government Funding agencies like the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Source ( MNES), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR ), Department of Science & Technology ( DST).

Besides the fuel cell related research, the scientists and engineers at the center are working on development of Sensors for gases, Batteries , Super capacitor, Energy savings in industries and synthesis of specific organic compounds for use in pharmaceuticals by electro chemical routes.

CER has developed a membrane based water electrolyser. The objective is to develop a cost effective, highly efficient water electrolyser.The Centre has developed modules that can supply 250cc/minute to 1000cc/minute of Pure Hydrogen.These Units can operate at pressures upto 3 bar.The unique feature of this generator is that the pressures can be obtained without any mechanical compressor . These units operate at an energy efficiency of 80%.

These generators can be alternatives to high pressure gas cylinders . They can be used with instrumentation requiring high purity hydrogen.These are ideal on-site, on-demand source of hydrogen.

This program has been supported by Technolgy information forcasting and assesment Council(TIFAC),Department of Science and Technology,Govt of India and SPIC Limited Chennai

De-ionised water flows into the positive side, anode, of the cell where it is dissociated by electrolysis into protons, electrons and oxygen. The oxygen is carried away with water out of the cell. The positively charged protons are attracted to the negative side, cathode, of the cell and they use the sulfonic acid ion groups in the polymer membrane as the path of mobility through the solid polymer electrolyte. Meanwhile the electrons flow through the power supply to the negative electrode where they combine with the protons to form molecules of pure hydrogen.

CER has an ongoing program to develop high capacity hydrogen storage materials. The center is also actively engaged in using these materials as negative electrodes in Ni-MH batteries.

Integration of PEM fuel cell with hydrogen storage devices has been successfully demonstrated.

Alloys which can absorb and desorb hydrogen at low temperatures have been developed.

Alloys based on zirconium have been made which show nearly 400 mAh / g electrochemical storage capacity.
Effort is on to make these alloys in large quantities.
Carbon nano materials of different types are being developed for hydrogen storage application.