Speaker
Descrizione
Humanity must maintain development while transitioning away from fossil fuels. This requires renewable energy sources and reliable storage systems to manage their intermittency. However, many current technologies depend on critical raw materials that are costly, environmentally impactful, and unevenly distributed globally. Developing sustainable alternatives based on abundant, low-impact materials is therefore essential.
Here, strategies for developing sustainable materials for energy conversion and storage systems are presented. Manganese oxide (MnO2) recovered from mining tailings were employed for the fabrication of conversion anode materials for lithium-ion batteries [1], demonstrating that secondary raw materials (SRMs) can be transformed into electrochemical components through relatively simple and cost-effective processing routes. To optimize these materials and develop new synthesis strategies, it is essential to elucidate their chemical and short-range structural evolution during battery operation. In this context, operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the ROCK beamline (SOLEIL synchrotron) will provide real-time insight into redox processes and degradation mechanisms, enabling the identification of the factors limiting performances.
Another example of a sustainable material currently under investigation is the biopolymer sodium alginate (SA), combined with protic ionic liquids to fabricate solid-state electrolytes (SSEs). The incorporation of a green ionic liquid into the polymer matrix significantly increases the ionic conductivity of alginate while improving its mechanical properties. Preliminary electrochemical results from supercapacitors featuring MnO2-based electrodes and commercial activated carbons demonstrate that SA-based membranes are a promising and viable alternative for SSEs. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of the composite nanostructure and the interactions between the ionic liquid and polymer chains is required to optimize ion transport and improve the cycling stability. To this end, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments at the Italian ISISMACH platform will be performed to establish structure-property relationships and guide the design of next-generation sustainable SSEs.
Beyond the exploitation of waste-derived SRMs and biopolymers, sustainable nanomaterials offer additional opportunities to engineer green energy conversion devices. Carbon nanoparticles derived from citric acid and L-tryptophan were employed to enhance the performance of hybrid perovskite solar cells [2]. Their incorporation into alginate matrices represents a promising strategy for developing multifunctional composite substrates with tailored optical properties. In particular, the strong UV absorption of these nanoparticles can act as an effective UV-filtering layer, mitigating photodegradation processes, improving device stability, highlighting the potential of bio-derived nanomaterials for next-generation sustainable energy technologies.
[1] Angeletti L., Agostini M., et al. A sustainable δ-MnO2 derived from Amazon rainforest Mn-ore tailings for applications in lithium-ion batteries. Sustainable Materials and Technologies. 2025; 44: e01347. DOI:10.1016/j.susmat.2025.e01347
[2] Squillantini L., Tocco D., et al. Integration of Sustainable Carbon Nanoparticles Into Inverted Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells to Enhance Optoelectronic Performance. Global Challenges. 2026; 1: e00363. DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202500363
| Giovane Ricercatore (under 40) | Yes |
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