Sustainable Energy Storage and Conversion Materials for the Energy Transition

Addressing the needs of billions of people while fighting climate change requires a fundamental shift in how we approach economic systems and sustainability. The current global challenges demand a rethinking of traditional business practices to prioritize sustainability and resilience. This transformation must be driven by an interdisciplinary approach that integrates socio-technical innovations, effective management strategies, and environmental responsibility across global value chains. In the realm of energy storage and conversion, technologies such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), sodium-ion batteries (NIBs), supercapacitors (SCs) and Fuel Cells (FCs) play a critical role. As these technologies continue to penetrate the market, ensuring their sustainability becomes imperative. Sustainability in this context involves not only improving durability and performance but also minimizing the reliance on critical and scarce raw materials. With a focus on the principles of the circular economy and the goal of achieving cost-effective and scalable processing, several innovative materials have been synthesized. These include a modified Mg- and Zr-doped LNMO cathode for lithium-ion batteries, a waste-valorized MOF-derived carbonaceous material for sodium-ion batteries and supercapacitors, and a series of doped Fe2O3 composites for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) applications. Each material was developed using low-cost resources and/or synthetic methodologies, demonstrating their potential for sustainable and economical energy solutions. All the materials were thoroughly investigated at both structural and electrochemical levels, showcasing their potential across various applications. The modified LNMO cathode for lithium-ion batteries demonstrated significant enhancements in stability, achieving outstanding capacity retention. At room temperature and 1C, the material retained 60.7% of its capacity after 1000 cycles, while at 50°C and 2C, it maintained 72.8% capacity retention over the same cycle count. The MOF-derived carbon exhibited exceptional performance as a supercapacitor, sustaining 36,000 cycles with 91% capacity retention and 99.7% coulombic efficiency, and also performed well in symmetric cell configurations. Beyond supercapacitors, the MOF-derived carbon excelled in sodium-ion batteries, delivering good rate performance and effective sodium-ion storage. Additionally, the doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles grafted onto graphene oxide, with 6% magnesium and 6% nickel doping, showed superior peroxide scavenging properties during oxygen reduction reactions. When combined with FePc600 as supporting catalysts, the doped composites achieved a ring current density of 5.75 mA/cm2 and reduced peroxide formation to 2.8%, outperforming pure FePc600, which exhibited a ring current density of 4.75 mA/cm2 and peroxide 6 formation of 5.1%. These results highlight the impact of advanced material engineering in enhancing electrochemical performance across diverse energy storage and catalytic systems. In the framework of the energy transition, a fuel cell test bench with unique features has been developed, designed to perform quality and performance tests on membrane electrode assemblies and fuel cell stacks. The research and development of this bench spanned several years, involving continuous problem identification and resolution. The project culminated in the completion of the test bench in October 2024, followed by its successful final installation.