Aluminium-based nanogalvanic alloys were discovered by researchers of the Metals Branch of ARL's Weapons and Materials Research Directorate (WMRD) of the  U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in the early 2010s during testing of a new nanostructured aluminium alloy intended for structural materials applications. During metallographic polishing for microhardness experiments, they noticed that the aluminium was disappearing upon contact with water and soon realized that it was creating hydrogen gas in the process. The alloy powder was later repurposed for energy applications. A patent was filed for the invention in June 2018 in order to license the aluminium powder to industry. In 2019, the hydrogen fuel company H2 Power, LLC was the first to receive an exclusive license to use the aluminium-based nanogalvanic alloys to investigate automotive and transportation power generation applications for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other vehicles. As of 2019, ARL researchers are looking for ways to improve the production and manufacturing process of the aluminium-based nanogalvanic alloys.