EU Projects
BATTERY 2030 PLUS
BATTERY 2030+ is a large-scale and long-term European research initiative with the vision of inventing sustainable batteries of the future, providing European industry with disruptive technologies and a competitive edge throughout the battery value chain and enabling Europe to reach the goals of a climate-neutral society envisaged in the European Green Deal.
The initiative is coordinated by Uppsala University in Sweden. NIC is a part of the BATTERY 2030+ core group responsible for coordinating the initiative consists of 23 partners, leaders in their fields, from 14 European countries. R. Dominko is a member of the Executive board.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 957213.
BIGMAP
The Battery Interface Genome – Materials Acceleration Platform (BIG-MAP) project is part of the large-scale and long-term European research initiative BATTERY 2030+. Here, we propose a radical paradigm shift in battery innovation, which will lead to a dramatic speed-up in the battery discovery and innovation time; reaching a 5-10 fold increase relative to the current rate of discovery within the next 5-10 years. BIG-MAP relies on the development of a unique R&D infrastructure and accelerated methodology that unites and integrates insights from leading experts, competences and data across the entire battery (discovery) value chain with Artificial Intelligence (AI), High Performance Computing (HPC), large-scale and high-throughput characterization and autonomous synthesis robotics. In short, BIG-MAP aims to reinvent the way we invent batteries and to develop core modules and Key Demonstrators of a Materials Acceleration Platform specifically designed for accelerated discovery of battery materials and interfaces. More information is presented here.
We (NIC) are active in several work packages (WPs) within the BIGMAP project. WP3 is focused on the development of an advanced mesoscale and continuum model, which is used for the consistent upscaling of SEI/CEI models to the macroscopic level. NIC leads experimental activities in WP4 related to the design and synthesis of protective coatings on NMC material. In addition, NIC offers microscopy platform for the material characterization in WP5 and is strongly involved in the development of the ontology model in WP7. Finally, we take an active part within WP11 which is related to the transfer of some interface solutions to the multivalent batteries.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 957189.
DESTINY
DESTINY is a European Doctorate Programme that will create a paradigm change in battery research, in line with the new European context, especially Battery 2030+, a large-scale and long-term European research initiative. The vision is of inventing the sustainable batteries of the future, providing European industry with disruptive technologies and a competitive edge throughout the battery value chain. The 5-year project will train 50 PhDs by focusing on three main challenges:
Reinvent battery materials discovery and engineering; Develop smart batteries and functionalities; Implement new technologies in industry.
Supported and co-funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND PhD Programme (Grant Agreement # 945357) and 40 other partners.
NAIMA
The European project NAIMA (“Na Ion materials as essential components to manufacture robust battery cells for non-automotive applications”) aims to develop a new generation of high-competitive and safe Na-ion cells for the current and future energy storage technologies, supported by the key actors of the European Battery value chain. NAIMA brings together a strong and complementary consortium, including 15 partners from 8 European countries (France, Germany, Sweden, Bulgaria, Spain, Netherlands, Slovenia and Belgium): 5 being R&D organizations (CNRS, CEA, NIC, IHE, VITO), 6 SMEs (TIAMAT, BIOKOL, IEIT, GOLDLINE, ACC, ZABALA IC) and 4 large companies (EDF, GESTAMP, SOLVAY, UMICORE). Within the framework of the project, 6 sodium-ion battery prototypes will be tested in 3 multi-scale Business Scenarios to provide solid evidence on the competitiveness of the technology in 3 real environments.
New non-graphitizable carbons will be developed at up-scale quantities for the prototype electrode for Na-ion batteries at the National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia at D10 Department of Materials Chemistry in the Modern battery systems lab.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 875629.
NOEL
NOEL (Innovative Nanostructured Electrodes for Energy Storage Concepts) project focuses on the development of new functional materials with tailored properties to improve electrochemical performance of energy storage systems (ESS). NOEL aims at developing new low cost and environmentally friendly layered semiconductor-carbon composites for their use as innovative electrodes for next generation batteries or supercapacitors. For that purpose, we have assembled a multidisciplinary consortium consisting of 2 European universities (University of Zaragoza, UNIZAR, in Spain, and Poznan University of Technology, PUT, in Poland), and 1 European research institution (National Institute of Chemistry, NIC, in Slovenia). UNIZAR will develop and characterize layered semiconductor nanomaterials, new carbon materials and batteries will be prepared and tested at NIC, while PUT will focus on testing supercapacitors based on the developed materials.
"Partners acknowledge the M-ERA.NET network, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Ref. PCI2019-103637), National Science Centre Poland (Ref. 2018/30/Z/ST4/00901), and Ministrstvo za izobraževanje, znanost in šport for financial support."
POLYSTORAGE
Polystorage is a European training network, whose main purpose is training of early stage researchers. Polystorage network is focused on the application of innovative polymers for stationary energy storage. The project is mostly focused on different post-lithium, polymer and redox flow batteries with polymers being utilized for different electrochemical cell components such as anode, cathode, electrolytes and separators.
Polystorage includes 12 beneficiaries (2 from industry) and 11 partners (9 from industry). In our department at NIC we are hosting a PhD student Olivera Lužanin, who is researching the application of organic polymers in post-lithium organic batteries (Mg, Ca, Na and K). She is mainly focused on the electrochemical mechanism of organic cathodes and differences in their performance in multi- and monovalent batteries. NIC will additionally host 3 foreign PhD students, who will test the performance of their polymers in multivalent battery systems.
Polystorage project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860403.