Today, coping with the environmental challenges while improving the citizens’ welfare demands an urgent energetic transition. For that, a full technological revolution has become a pressing need to ensure the expected decarbonization of our planet & a sustainable future overall. European decarbonisation strategies are focused on improving “energy efficiency” and promoting electricity from renewable energy sources, while a major challenge associated with all renewables is storage, to fill the gap concerning energy provisions. Therefore, a new paradigm is emerging based on green powerpackage sources, which integrate eco-sustainable energy provision and storage by exploiting different materials functionalities, going from the ability to capture and transform light, mechanical harvesting from motion, as well as power management to control all energy flows. This implies better design and architecture of PV panels, e.g. exploiting photonics and outstanding performances of functional materials at 1D and 2D dimensions.
The activity to be performed concerns:
1) Photonic-enhanced Solar Cells, guided by theoretical modelling and optimization, the aim is to explore new materials processing and devices architectures, exploiting novel compositions and structures (stacked/tandem layers, band gap engineering), light management, and advanced materials at 1D and 2D dimensions.
2) Mechano-responsive and thermos responsive energy sources. The aim is to exploit piezoelectricity, thermoelectricity and triboelectricity associated with novel materials design and structure, backed up by proper AI tools for new nanogenerator configurations and energy harvesters.
3) Batteries and Supercapacitors. The key factors foreseen are: 1) safety; 2) charges to last longer and offer higher power; 3) provision of special form factors or flexibility. Here we mainly look for special properties of materials/structures to increase their performances, including new battery/capacitor architectures and compositions, new electrolytes (moving towards solid ones), membranes, cathode & anode materials for better charge storage & power capacity. Besides, particular attention will be given to battery and supercapacitor performance monitoring & control via smart sensors.
4) Self-Powered Wearable Electronics. Development of at least two classes of active layers, involving nanowires and novel 2D materials, to meet the requirements for the desired technologies and final product concepts. For mechano-responsive devices we aim to develop the charge translocating layer which initiates the charge transfer mechanism. We will also develop proper charge collector or electrode layers, as well as the design of self-powered devices.
5) Solar power refineries. The aim is to combine PV and electrolysis to produce renewable-powered synthesised fuels, e.g. green hydrogen or syngas (mixture of CO and H2), contributing for the EU’s energetic independence and its goal of achieving net-zero carbon-emission by 2050).
