Topic 1
Materials for energy storage and distribution systems

The scope covers innovative materials, devices and systems that store and distribute any kind of energy (electrical, chemical, mechanical, thermal energy, among others). It encompasses materials for stationary energy storage systems, as well as materials that enable the safe and efficient transport of energy carriers.

This topic addresses the development of advanced materials for energy storage and distribution prioritizing sustainability, durability, reduced degradation phenomena, manufacturability, easy disassembly, recyclability and reduced reliance on critical raw materials. Such advancements should enhance the resilience, safety and circularity of Europe’s low-carbon energy systems.

Additional aspects considered are: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA), digital supported methodologies (e.g. Artificial Intelligence (AI), multiscale modelling, machine learning (ML), etc.) needed for accelerated materials design, discovery and optimisation for energy applications. These methodologies, together with experimental high throughput screening of materials, are expected to save time and cost versus traditional trial and error approaches.

The objective of this topic is to develop innovative materials to enable new and cleaner energy storage and distribution. The proposals shall address at least one of the following items:

• Materials for safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) energy storage and energy distribution.
• Materials for short, medium and long duration thermal energy storage.
• Novel materials-based concepts for energy carriers storage and distribution (e.g. . H₂, NH₃, heat, power transmission, etc.).
• Novel material-based concepts for hybrid energy storage connecting different technologies
• Improved active materials and electrolytes for high capacity and long cycling batteries and also beyond Li-ion batteries (e.g., metal-sulfur, metal-air and post Li-ion), as well as for Vanadium-free redox-flow batteries for stationary applications.
• Usage of recycled or secondary materials in functional layers of storage and distribution systems, with evaluation of performance, sustainability and manufacturability.
• Development of surface engineering and protection strategies and research in corrosion mechanisms in materials exposed to corrosive atmospheres, including the development of novel testing methods and identification of degradation pathways applied to energy storage and distribution systems.
• Development of risk-based analysis for material selection, durability, low degradation in energy storage and energy carrier transport systems.

Inclusion of one or more of the following cross-cutting aspects would be considered a strength:

• Development of additive manufacturing (AM) strategies for advanced energy storage and distribution systems that enable the production of tailored architectures with improved performance and reduced waste.
• Multiscale and data-driven modelling including AI and ML tools to develop and optimise materials for energy storage and distribution.
• Substitution of Critical Raw Materials (CRM) and/or hazardous materials in new energy storage and distribution systems, products or processes.
• Materials processing with high sustainability and lower costs, to improve energy optimization through flexible design for repurposing and recycling.

These aspects could be further enhanced by fostering collaboration between academia, civil society, industry, and other relevant stakeholders, thereby strengthening the whole innovation chain. 

Proposals should address how they will contribute to the expected impact of the topic, addressing at least one of the following aspects:

• The proposed research should lead to energy storage and distribution systems with higher efficiency, improved overall performance and lower cost.
• In the field of energy storage, progress is expected through increases in, among others and not limited to, energy and power density, safety, cyclability, volumetric and gravimetric energy density, capacity and stability.
• For distribution systems, the proposed research should foster advanced systems that enable efficient, flexible, and resilient management of energy flows across multiple sources and/or storage units.
• Improvement of sustainability and reduced carbon footprint in particular considering energy consumption in the overall proposed processes.
• Improved openness and interconnectivity within the community; by providing open access to accrued raw data and metadata, allowing for comparisons between project results, cooperation between related research groups and possibly contribution to standardization efforts.
• Improvement of reusability and interoperability in developed software.

The proposal impacts should be substantiated with key performance indicators. All proposals should clearly state the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at the project start and at the project end. The proposals should include a plan for the transition to higher TRLs at a later stage (i.e. beyond the project end date). Establishing an industrial and societal advisory board or the participation of one or more companies in the project consortium is encouraged. 

M-ERA.NET requires that all proposers explain how their projects demonstrate a commitment to RRI by investigating and addressing the environmental, social, ethical, political, or cultural dimensions of the proposed research.

In line with the M-ERA.NET RRI annex, proposals should consider the following points:

• Resources: the use of resources overall, the environmental properties of the materials, the use of critical raw materials, energy, water, etc.
• Green-production-processes: use of environmentally friendly solvents, avoiding hazardous elements, substances of concern, minimizing energy and water consumption during production and preserving worker’s health.
• End of life: the entry of the material into the circular economy, including re-use, remanufacturing or recycling considerations.
• Involvement of relevant societal stakeholders as appropriate.

• Use phase: the sustainability of the conditions under which the material can be used (continuous energy use, releases to the environment, life span, etc.).

Proposals should describe potential trade-offs between sustainability burdens and benefits, and include an activity where relevant aspects are further investigated, potentially with corresponding impacts on the design of the material(s).

This topic is targeted at all groups in the innovation chain: disruptive, applied research, industrial research and development. In proposals targeting TRL 4 and higher, industrial partners and at least one project partner specialised on customer or end-user demands should be involved in the project consortium. Collaboration between research entities and industrial partners is encouraged also at lower TRLs.

Projects submitted to this topic should choose at least 3 keywords from the following list:

Aqueous batteries; Artificial intelligence for materials discovery; Battery materials; bio-based materials; Ceramic heat storage; CRM reduction / replacement / substitution; Electrochemical energy storage; Energy distribution; Energy efficiency; Energy storage;; Energy carriers distribution; Energy carriers storage; Hybrid energy storage, Long duration energy storage; Materials safety; Membranes Next-generation batteries; Phase change materials; Post lithium ion batteries; Recycled Materials; Redox-flow batteries; Second-life materials; Solid sorbent; Supercapacitors, Superconductors, Thermal storage; Thermochemical materials.

General keywords (KWs) (such as Additive manufacturing / 3D printing; Durability; Nanomaterials; Recyclability…) and Additional KWs (free text) can also be chosen in the submission platform. The ensemble of the keywords should allow for an overview of the scope of the project (consider describing different aspects of the project such as: main scientific area / domain, system / property / material of interest, applications / objectives and pertinent procedures / techniques).