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Anisotropic clay materials for hydrogen storage – OCCAMH2
The breakthrough concept to be explored is the role of the anisotropy of the porous network for hydrogen storage. The research hypothesis is that hydrogen storage will be an emergent property of the material (anisotropy of the porous network) and will not only come from the intrinsic properties of i
Oxygenated fuels impact on spark ignition engine emissions – OFELIE
In 2025, hybridized light duty vehicles will still largely operate with direct injection (DI) spark ignition (SI) engines. Although DI reduces SI CO2 emissions, it leads to large soot particle emissions, formed by a pool fire due to DI. A second lever to reduce the global SI engine emissions is the
Greatly augmented novel Li-ion devices by atomic layer fluorination – GANDALF
GANDALF aims at modifying the surface of positive electrodes (LiFexMn1-xPO4 (LFMP) and LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO)) of Li-ion devices by a novel atomic layer fluorination process, improving their inertness towards their electrolytic environment, augmenting their performances as high-voltage systems, and v
Multi-scale APproach for a microscopic underStanding of thermal transport in nanocomposites – MAPS
MAPS proposes a fundamental investigation of thermal transport in nanocomposites, made of the intertwining of different materials on the nanoscale, most promising for thermal management and thermoelectric applications. Their enormous potential still lies unused due to the poor understanding of the m
2D Heterostructures for Energy COnversion – 2DHECO
Recovery of wasted heat is a major societal concern in this century focusing important research efforts. Research on new thermoelectric (TE) devices and materials to improve energy conversion is highly demanded in particular in nanoelectronics applications. Energy conversion of TE nanogenerators is
Electrocaloric cooling – ECOOL
Electrocaloric materials show very interesting performances, compared to others solid state caloric substances. In spite of being still on a lower level with respect to the traditional refrigeration gas, we shall emphasize some design opportunities offered by the compactness of the field source (a c
Electroactive molecules for chemically regenerative redox fuel cell – ELMOROX
Answering the global warming problem is one of the most challenging question for the 21st century. To address it, alternatives of energy production using fossil fuels have to be developed. Proton exchange membrane fuel cell is one of the best candidates to produce clean and sustainable energy. It pr
Triangulenium as robust organic dyes for production of solar fuels – TATADyes
TataDyes is a basic research project which aims at designing and investigating trianguleniums as an original class of robust organic dyes to challenge rare metal based photosensitizers for the catalytic reduction of protons (H2 production) and CO2 using visible light. Coupled to Co, Ni, Fe or Mn mol
Control and REAl TIme simulation of Floating wind turbines and integration to grid – CREATIF
The objective of the project « CREATIF » is to implement a new « real time » simulation tool of the « Hardware-In-The-Loop » type offering complete interaction models between the various components of a floating wind turbine, in order to: develop new control and estimation architectures based on non
High-Efficiency Epitaxial CIGS-Silicon Tandem Solar Cell – EPCIS
The PV sector is experiencing a fast growth and is becoming one of the main pillars for the energy transition. The goal of 30% efficiency (challenging roadmap issued during COP21, initiated by IPVF and named “30-30-30”) will be extremely difficult to reach with classical solar cells based on single
Valorization of CO2 through BIOMethanation and INTENSification of gas-liquid mass transfer – BIOMIntens
In the light of CO2 valorization and further reduction of greenhouse gases emissions, the BIOMIntens project aims at intensifying the biological methanation process (BIOM), which itself constitutes a building block of the Power-to-Gas strategy platform for the long-term and seasonal electrical energ
Rational design of enhanced heat transfer surfaces for droplet and spray cooling systems – DROPSURF
The impact of a drop spray on a hot surface is one of the most efficient heat extraction methods. When the liquid meets the overheated wall, it heats up and starts boiling, which allows very high heat flux to be dissipated. It also allows to achieve a relatively uniform cooling thanks to the spatial
CO2 uptake by accelerated carbonation of recycled concrete aggregates – Co2ncrete
Abstract Concrete construction is responsible for around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing the carbon footprint of concrete is becoming crucial as its global production is expected to increase sharply in the coming years. One way to achieve this goal is to use the ability of concrete
3D printing of lithium-ion batteries – IODA
Nowadays, lithium-ion batteries power most electronic devices. There is a growing demand for batteries with higher energy and power and for a perfect integration of such batteries into the devices that they power. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing would allow not only to fabricate ne
Durability enhancement of fuel cell electric vehicles by exploring multi-level learning based control – DEAL
Fuel cell (FC) technology has been showing its advantages as an alternative power source in electric vehicles. Nowadays, most of the FCs in service still suffer from unsatisfactory durability performance, especially for transportation applications. It has been found that the main technical barrier l
Understanding the low-temperature oxidation kinetics of ethers – KINOXET
A potential biofuel must be characterized as completely as possible, in order to be used. It is therefore essential to know its fundamental combustion properties, particularly the products formed during its oxidation. The KINOXET project aims to understand the low-temperature oxidation behavior of e
Tandem photoelectrochemical cells for solar driven carbon dioxide reduction and alcohol oxidation – PECALO
The main objective of PECALO is to develop, for the first time, a stable tandem photoelectrochemical cell to reduce CO2 to CO with concomitant oxidation of alcohols in carbonyls compounds, thereby providing a strategy for generating economically valuable products at both electrodes with sunlight. At
Ferroelectric-ferroelectric transitions Induced by External STress for Applications in sensing and energy harvesting – FIESTA
FIESTA fosters transdisciplinary approaches and genuine scientific researches related to societal stakes. The project encompasses all the involved fields, from the material to the application through mechanical and electrical aspects. The core of FIESTA is to turn what is usually considered as a lim
Augmented prediction and analysis of massive data for the identification of key parameters controlling internal aerodynamics (ALEKCIA) – ALEKCIA
Electrification of vehicles and improved efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICE) are the main levers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Recent studies indicate that in 2040 thermal cars sales will still remain an important part of the market and the spark-ignition engine (SIE) is seen as th
Benzothioxanthene and derivatives: promising building blocks for organic electronics – BTXI-APOGEE
BTXI-APOGEE is a highly innovative and therefore challenging project since almost everything remains to be discovered. Great forgotten of the organic electronic success story, the benzothioxanthene turns out to be a promising and high potential block in terms of synthetic versatility and properties.
Solar iron metallurgy based on renewable or bio-sourced reducers – MetaSol
The present project addresses an emblematic and central energy-demanding process of our society: metallurgy. The reduction of iron oxide into metallic iron, steel and cast iron using coke is the process that gave rise to the industrial revolution, clearly taking advantage of the high-energy density
Nanoconfinement of enzymes in nanocage-structured electrodes for bioelectrocatalytic energy conversion – CAGEZYMES
Enzymes are nature’s catalysts that drive many important biological reactions. Compared to synthetic or rare metal catalysts, enzymes have advantages such as exquisite specificity, high reactivity under mild conditions, and low environmental impact. However, the fragility of enzymes outside of their
Water-based organic semiconductors colloidal dispersions for photovoltaics – WATER-PV
Although water-based organic semiconductors inks have already been developped and successfully applied in the OPV field, devices fabricated using water-based colloidal dispersions still present lower efficiencies than control devices fabricated from halogeno and/or aromatic solvents. The reason behi
New generation of very low energy and environmentally friendly, mercury free lamps with fluorescent discharge initiated at the cathode by a microwave plasma below 1 watt – ADELINE
The use of mercury (Hg) as an additive to argon in fluorescent lamps, to produce UV photons then converted into white light by phosphors, is now prohibited and the progressive phasing out of this type of lamp is imminent. Their substitution by electroluminescent lamps (LED) based on gallium (Ga) is
Flame Acceleration and Transition to Detonation (FAsTD) in Narrow Channels – FASTD
While the scientific community has recognized that the flame topologies just prior to detonation onset, as well as that of the detonation itself is three-dimensional, surprisingly, no experimental setup has been devised that allows for simultaneous visualization of the phenomenon from 2-directions 2
PolyAmide resistance to damage Cumulation from Fatigue loading and high-pressure HYdrogen Cycling – PACIFHYC
Consideration of hydrogen as an alternate energy carrier for ensuring cleaner means of mobility necessitates the design of reliable infrastructure for the transport, storage and dispensing of gaseous hydrogen. In order to make the sector a credible alternative, an immediate goal is to deploy network
Quantitative Microscopy of Lithium by LIBS – Micro-Q-Li
The objective of the Micro-Q-Li project is to design, construct and demonstrate the capabilities of an elemental microscope dedicated to the analysis of lithium. The microscope will combine the Laser- Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF). The targeted performanc
Synthesis of hYbride fuNctionalized and catalyzEd MOFs foR the storaGe of hYdrogen – SYNYERGY
The functionalization of porous organometallic networks has been a priority research topic in materials chemistry, particularly in France for the past fifteen years. This is due to the strong potential of such materials for improving interface reactions in cracking processes, electrocatalytic reacti
Electrochemical Flash Sintering as a new tool to obtain all solid-state batteries in few seconds – FLASHBAT
Today, a considerable effort is being made worldwide to develop inorganic all solid-state batteries (ASSB) that provide greater safety and energy density than conventional Li-ion batteries. The development of such ASSBs is limited by the processing of the inorganic active materials (AM), electrolyte
Theoretical, Experimental, and Computational Study of Carriers Localization in Nitride Devices – TECCLON
Modern (opto)electronic devices rely on band engineering capabilities, made possible by the use of semiconductor heterostructures in which band gaps, offsets and strains in the active layers are optimized by associating pure compounds and alloys. High electron mobility transistors create two-dimensi
Thermochemical hybrid processes for valorization of waste heat in eco-industrial parks – ThermHyVal
This project focuses on several energy key issues: the valorization of low-temperature thermal sources; the growing demand in electricity and cold; the management of the variability of sources and demands by processes able to store heat and restitute electricity and/or cold; the inter-industrial coo
Integration of hydrogen energy storage in weakly or non interconnected grids – HyLES
Areas weakly or not interconnected with large power grids, and in particular islands, usually rely on fossil energy sources for their electricity production. This results in high levels of emissions and pollution, but also higher costs than what can be found on the continents. In order to reduce the
Development and Integration of static DC / DC Converters for the Interconnection of high voltage DC Transmission grids – DICIT
With the integration of renewable energies such as offshore wind farms and the constraints of development of transmission grids, High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) are developing. The concept of HVDC Meshed grid has emerged in the past decade to increase reliability and strengthen interconnections b
Lone Pair Thermoelectric Sulfur Based Compounds – LISBON
The LISBON applied research project proposed herein aims at advancing the knowledge of sulfide materials with complex crystal structures as efficient thermoelectric materials for the generation of electricity from waste heat generated by industries, road transport, data centers, and others, at a med
Heat transfer in extreme near-field regime – NEARHEAT
Radiative heat transfer in the near field (micron and sub-micron distances) can dramatically overcome the far-field blackbody limit, by means of photon tunneling. Even though in the extreme near field (sub-nanometric distances) electrons and phonons represent two important channels contributing to h
Multiphysics Imager for Microfluidic Fuel Cells – I2MPAC
In the current objective of massive deployment of renewable energies from wind turbines and solar panels, energy storage is the most critical issue to synchronize the electrical production to the consumption. Several studies in the literature have shown how energy storage can transform intermittent
Propagation of hydrogen flames for safety applications – PHYSSA
One of the major issues facing our modern societies concerns both the reduction of our impact on the climate change and the reduction of our consumption of fossil fuels. One way to reach these goals is the use of hydrogen which is quite versatile and can be used in a large panel of applications such
Innovative Oxide Catalysts for next PEMFC generatio – InnOxiCat
For preparing the next breakthrough automotive (PEMFC) generation at the horizon 2025-2030, the question of substituting critical raw materials like Pt group metals (PGMs) is mandatory for many reasons. Among them, cost is a major issue: 30% of the PEMFC cost is issued from the use of Pt as catalyst
Advanced Lattice-Boltzmann Combustion Modelling – MALBEC
The objective is to carry out the first 3D simulation of a turbulent, carbon-free hydrogen-air flame, using Lattice-Boltzmann methods. Our latest results indicate that such method should lead to speed-up close to 80-90% compared to classical Navier-Stokes based solvers. Such speed-up corresponds to
(Iso)alloxazine derivatives as versatile component for batteries – BattAllox
BattAllox aims at targeting multiple electron transfer and tuneable redox properties for enhanced energy storage systems. Using bioinspired design principles and molecular engineering, this project focuses on interfacing redox-active isoalloxazine and alloxazine units with coordination chemistry to
Natural Working Fluids for Absorption Refrigeration – AWARE
European and global regulations on greenhouse gases are constantly evolving. Most of the fluorinated refrigerants currently used are close to be banned due to their high global warming potentials.The most widely used refrigeration system is the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle including an elec
Objectivizing “nuclear territories” through their spatial representations – NucTerritory
The difficulties encountered by the French government in setting up the accompanying measures for the reconversion of Fessenheim nuclear power plant following its closure bear witness of our blatant lack of knowledge of the interaction between nuclear power plants and space, thus preventing their se
AUTOmated exploration of MATerials for PROton-conducting solid oxide CELLS – AUTOMAT-PROCELLS
Solid Oxide Fuel/Electrolysis Cells are electrochemical devices based on ceramics which operate at high temperature, typically 600-800 °C. This high temperature is needed to ensure fast diffusion and reaction rates i.e. to allow for high power efficiency. Unfortunately, coupled with extreme operatin
Investigating the photo-catalytic activity of molybdenum clusters for the reduction of CO2 into methanol and production of H2 from water – PHOTOCAT
PHOTOCAT aims at studying the reaction mechanisms of two alternative photo-catalytic processes. One deals with recycling CO2 into organic “platform” chemicals such as methanol. The other produces clean/renewable hydrogen fuel from water. Both of these processes involve transition metal clusters as p
pin (113) diamond diodes – LAPIN113
“pin (113) diamond diodes” (LAPIN113) is a project based on recent discoveries made by French laboratories experienced in the diamond field: LSPM (Villetaneuse) and GEMaC (Versailles). The alternative (113) crystallographic orientation presents better potentials for p-type and n-type doping than con
Layered Hydroxides for advanced energy storage devices – LaDHy
The introduction of an ever-increasing amount of intermittent energy production onto the electrical grid will require more flexibility, which can be obtained by installing “buffers” in the form of electrical storage. Amongst today’s decentralised solutions, neither batteries nor supercapacitors prov
Coupling Catalysis and High Temperature Electrolysis for Ethylene from CO2 – CHEEC
The goal of the CHEEC project is to integrate into the Power-to-SNG chain an intermittent valorization of produced oxygen and methane by their catalytic conversion into ethylene on the O2-HTE electrode. The highly crystalline nanostructured catalysts with controlled size, composition and surface pro