The main results can be summarized as follows:
1) A co-precipitation synthesis procedure for w-ZnS nanopowder production has been established Following the lab tests, an in-house semi-pilot plant was built, able to produce substantial amounts of wurtzite ZnS nanopowder in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way; A successful procedure for recycling of the solvent was introduced, enabling a greener, “circular approach” and the productivity yield increase of 3.5 times.
2) The inherent properties of ZnS ceramics produced with pleasureless Two Step Sintering method that could be used as qualitative indicators for pyroelectric productivity were determined thus simplifying the analysis of the results (pre-screening and pre-selection of the ceramic samples).
3) Two different heating and cooling testing set-ups were established. To probe the pyroelectric output for a w-ZnS ceramic a simple device (a “pyro-cell”), stable from room temperature up to approximately 180°C, was created.
The results obtained in the NanoPyroMat were reported in: 1) one publication in an Open Access journal, 2) one Conference Proceeding, 3) five poster presentations at scientific conferences, 4) three seminars at the host institution, 5) one seminar for industry representatives, 6) one invited lecture given by the researcher at La Sapienza University of Rome and 7) via social media activities (Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook) undertaken by the researcher for further dissemination. One publication is in preparation, and several others are planned over the next 2 years.
Over the course of the project, the researcher communicated the action activities, and promoted new ways of harvesting clean and renewable energy to the general public, in particular the younger generation (for example to students at La Sapienza University and young researchers in Montenegro), policy-makers (Dr Mark Kozdras, co-lead of Mission Innovation, Innovation Challenge 6: Clean Energy Materials and the Montenegrin Ministry of Science), industry ( the Italian companies SOL S.p.A and Technores Srl) and fellow scientists (via the NanoInnovation Conference and Exhibition). In addition, the researcher used every opportunity to act as a Marie Curie Ambassador and promote the MSCA and in particular the MSCA IF programme, and the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) where the researcher is the founding Chair of the Western Balkans Chapter; the researcher is involved in running the Chapter’s portal and Twitter account @MCAA_WB. The researcher published 5 popular articles (with 1 further submitted for publication) on online platforms, in international journals and in a national newspaper in Montenegro; she had 2 appearances on Montenegrin national TV, and participated 3 times in the European Researchers’ Night (2018 in Italy, and 2020 in Italy and in Montenegro). The researcher promotes gender equality in the scientific setting, and argued that scientists have a duty to be an active and engaged part of society. The undertaken communication activities exceeded the planned ones by many times both in terms of the number of activities and the number of people reached.
