Project description
Zinc-air batteries made from cheap and earth-abundant materials
The global need for energy is expected to grow by more than 25 % by 2040. Hydrogen, a clean energy source produced by splitting water molecules, is a promising solution to tackle climate change. To work effectively, it needs to be paired with renewable energy sources and energy storage devices such as zinc-air batteries. However, electrocatalysts used in these batteries are currently made from expensive, rare materials. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the HYDROBAT project aims to develop hybrid materials based on earth-abundant metals derived from boride and highly conductive carbon. Researchers will also study their structure-property relationships and understand the degradation mechanisms, which are crucial for designing materials with outstanding stability.
Objective
The world energy demand is expected to grow by more than 25% by 2040, according to the world energy outlook by the International Energy Agency. To tackle this significant and urgent challenge new materials with engineered properties for energy applications are required. Hydrogen (H2) production by water electrolysis (Green H2) has received great interest as an alternative sustainable and clean energy technology. For instance, the green H2 is very crucial for the European Commission’s net zero emissions scenarios for 2050. To achieve green H2, this technology should be coupled with intermittent and renewable energy sources. And thus, the energy storage devices are involved in the green H2 production system. Due to its high energy density, and environmental-friendly, the Zinc-air battery is regarded as important energy storage device in the near future. But, the lack of satisfactory cheaper bifunctional electrocatalysts (ECs) for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for water electrolysis and the lack of bifunctional air ECs for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and OER are the main challenges for both these technologies. The state-of-the-art ECs are based on noble metals, whose application at a large scale is limited due to their high cost and scarcity. Consequently, the development of highly efficient ECs without precious metals is urgent. Current strategies for the development of desirable earth-abundant materials are often limited because of the poor electron transfer, low conductivity, poor stability, and small surface area of the active materials. To tackle this challenge, we aim (1) to develop hybrid materials based on earth-abundant metals derived from boride and highly conductive carbon by chemical reduction and pyrolysis methods, (2) to study their structure-property relationship, and finally, (3) to understand the degradation mechanism which is crucial for designing the materials with outstanding stability.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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35122 Padova
Italy
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.