Project description
New materials for efficient refrigeration
Turn on an electric field, and electrocaloric materials will release heat to their surroundings, whereas negative electrocaloric materials will absorb heat, cooling the environment. These materials have recently embraced the spotlight owing to their potential to replace the inefficient and polluting gases used in most refrigeration technologies. Further progress in the field has been hindered by the inability to assess the reliability of electrocaloric effect measurement methods. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EAGER project plans to develop new lead-free Aurivillius oxides that demonstrate strong electrocaloric effects, and determine the most reliable method of detecting electrocaloric effects in bulk and thin films.
Objective
Climate change is one of the main challenges in the world today as addressed in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal. An important contribution to global warming comes from the current cooling technology based on vapour compression of greenhouse gases. Electrocaloric (EC) materials show reversible thermal changes in response to an applied electric field known as the electrocaloric effect (ECE), and are in the spotlight as candidates for future green refrigeration with even a better energy efficiency than vapour compression. Despite the intense research activity in EC materials (mostly focused on lead-containing oxides), ECE effects sufficiently large for applications have only been reported in thin films and the progress in the field is hindered by the reliability of the ECE measurement methods. Besides, the microscopic origin of the ECE remains to be understood in order to enable a rational design of EC materials. The aim of this project is to develop new lead-free Aurivillius oxides with strong ECE by: i) implementing experimental setups for direct (calorimeter) and indirect (polarization analyzer) ECE measurements to allow for a comprehensive analysis; ii) synthesizing Aurivillius oxides with targeted compositions towards EC performance, both in bulk and thin-film forms; and iii) combining the macroscopic characterization of the electric and EC properties with an advanced microscopic characterization using cutting-edge synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopies. The outcomes of this work will include the determination of the most reliable ECE detection method for bulk and thin films, the finding of novel compounds with enhanced EC properties, and new understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which the materials show the ECE behaviour. All these will contribute to open new directions in the field of EC cooling, ultimately also providing guidance for exploiting the ECE in practical refrigeration devices.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering thermodynamic engineering
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
- social sciences economics and business economics sustainable economy
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28006 MADRID
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.