Analytical Methods and LCA for Sustainable Energy Materials
- Reference number
- APR23-0012
- Project leader
- Kozyatnyk, Ivan
- Start and end dates
- 240501-300430
- Amount granted
- 1 499 774 SEK
- Administrative organization
- Linköping University
- Research area
- Materials Science and Technology
Summary
In response to the global shift towards sustainable energy, this project aims to develop advanced analytical techniques for emerging materials in renewable energy, like hybrid solar cells and eco-friendly batteries. Collaborating with the Laboratory of Organic Electronics (LOE) at Linköping University, I will focus on creating methods for clean, selective synthesis of energy materials and refining environmental impact assessments through life cycle analysis (LCA). The project encompasses: -Designing advanced chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques for characterizing sustainable energy materials, elucidating their reaction pathways and mechanisms. -Developing quality control and standardization protocols using analytical instruments like LC and GC-MS, ensuring material production consistency. -Conducting comprehensive LCAs to minimize environmental footprints of new technologies, covering their entire life cycle. -Investigating degradation pathways of these materials to understand their stability and longevity. This collaboration unites LOE's expertise in organic energy materials with my skills in separation techniques and environmental analysis, leading to innovative analytical methodologies for sustainable energy materials. Aligned with the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research’s mission, this project aims to enhance Sweden's position in renewable energy research and contribute to the global move towards sustainable energy solutions.
Popular science description
As the world transitions to renewable energy, next-generation materials will be crucial to enable technologies like solar panels, electric vehicle batteries, and smart grids. Materials made from organic polymers and bio-compounds have shown particular promise as more sustainable alternatives to conventional inorganic materials. However, these novel organic materials are highly complex. To speed up their development and real-world deployment, researchers need better ways to analyze and optimize them. More work is also needed to understand their environmental impacts across their full lifecycle. This project aims to tackle these challenges by developing cutting-edge analytical techniques tailored specifically to emerging organic energy materials. Advanced methods will help researchers design better materials faster. The project team will use state-of-the-art instrumentation like chromatography and mass spectrometry to separate, identify, and quantify the many components that make up organic solar absorbers, battery electrolytes, and other materials. Right now, these complex mixtures are something of a black box. New techniques will shed light on their inner workings. The researchers will also assess how materials are synthesized and processed from an environmental perspective. Life cycle assessments will map out the resources required to make materials, the waste produced, and the energy consumed from raw ingredients to end products. This big picture view will pinpoint opportunities to “green” materials and minimize their environmental footprints. Studying how materials stand up to repeated use will also give insights into improving their stability and lifetimes. Advanced laboratory testing under operating conditions will uncover why materials degrade and how to make them more robust. This initiative brings together leaders in analytical chemistry, renewable materials, and sustainability to tackle a major bottleneck in next-gen energy technology development. By working across specialties, the collaborative team will generate new innovations not possible in any one field alone. Sweden stands to become a leader in sustainable materials characterization and assessment.