There is a pressing need to move away from the conventional fossil fuels used as vehicle fuels today due to their damaging environmental effects and dwindling resources.

One solution is the use of hydrogen as a fuel as this would significantly reduce harmful emissions from vehicles as well as being potentially produced by renewable energy sources.

Impurities in hydrogen have a severe affect on the performance of fuel cells. For example at several hundred ppb carbon monoxide will poison the expensive platinum catalyst. It is therefore crucial to be able to detect any impurities before the fuel is used. An international standard ISO/DIS 14687-2a is being developed to highlight all of the impurities that need to be identified and at what level.

This poster won the 2011 NPL Science Poster Fair Award for best presentation and impact.