Funded Projects
4TU.Energy aims to connect and build upon the individual strengths of the 4TUs and facilitate coordination and collaboration among researchers in the field of Energy to accelerate the transition toward a carbon-neutral future. Here is the environment where researchers in Energy are connected and are offered opportunities to boost collaborations.
One of the opportunities is the funding opportunity, intending to lower the threshold on community building and initiate more collaborations within 4TU.Energy.
On this page below, we provide an overview of all funded projects by 4TU.Energy;
For the application guidelines and procedure please go to the webpage of:
- 4TU.Energy Calls for Funding
- Joint Calls for Funding with 4TU.NIRICT
Funded Projects Overview
CO2-Responsive Etalon Membranes for in-situ analysis of oceanwater
CO2-Responsive Etalon Membranes for in-situ analysis of oceanwater
Applicant:
Dr. H. Bazyar and G. Kontaxi (TUDelft), Dr. M. Rücker and G. Wensink (TU/e)
Type of Funding:
Rapid Research
Proposal Summary:
To limit global warming to 2°C with negative global CO2 emissions (on balance) by 2050, climate models indicate that negative emissions technologies (NETs) must be deployed to balance the emissions of different industries including energy sector. NETs are climate intervention technologies that remove CO2 from its sinks. Indirect ocean capture (IOC) is one of these technologies in which the ocean-atmosphere equilibrium is leveraged through controlling the pH of the seawater to extract the (dissolved) CO2. The carbon content of the oceans in the form of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) is 140 times greater by volume than the carbon in the atmosphere in the form of gaseous carbon. IOC enables returning CO2-free brine to the ocean for additional CO2 absorption from the air. The feed oceanwater needs to be analyzed thoroughly to determine the exact concentration and form of DIC. Currently, laboratorybased methods such as spectrophotometry are used to define DIC in oceanwater samples. For the IOC technology to be further implemented in various locations, the water samples (from input/output(s)) should be analyzed in real time.
With this study, we take the first steps in developing CO2-Responsive Etalon Membrane (CREM) for in-situ detection of DIC in oceanwater.
4TU FAIR-battery-challenge
4TU FAIR-battery-challenge
Applicant:
Dr. Yali Tang (TU/e), Dr. Sanli Faez (UU), and Dr. Maarten Voors (WUR)
Involved Partner: Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems (EIRES)
Type of Funding:
Community Activity
Proposal Summary:
The most common renewable energy sources, solar and wind electricity, are intermittent. The storage of energy in batteries, is therefore an essential link in localizing and democratizing access to electricity.
The main objective of this activity is to stimulate researchers (including phd’s and postdocs) and student teams to work together on the battery technological development. The activity is a one-day workshop at Utrecht University (central located), gathering researchers and student teams working at 4TU in the field of batteries, as well as spin-offs together for knowledge exchange and networking. This workshop is followed by a FAIR battery challenge.
This event contributes to connect 4TU research community that work on batteries (all TRL levels) and to work with each other in the 4TU context on research proposals, attracting funding and stimulate cross collaboration between research and education.
Enhancing electrochemical performance of 3D-printed porous microstructures with hierarchical surfaces and precise spatial control
Enhancing electrochemical performance of 3D-printed porous microstructures with hierarchical surfaces and precise spatial control
Applicant:
Dr. P. Taheri (TUDelft), and Dr. D. Jafari (UTwente)
Type of Funding:
Rapid Research
Proposal Summary:
In this project, we hypothesize that 3D-printed porous microstructures with hierarchical surfaces and precise spatial control can enhance electrochemical performance. We believe that through-plane porosity gradients, interconnected low-tortuosity pores, and multimodal pore size distributions can increase current/power densities without sacrificing efficiency. These features provide larger surface areas and facilitate complex mass transport across multiple scales.
Specifically, we have planned for (A) Initiate collaborative research on combining 3D printing with functional coating for new material synthesis. This platform offers enhancing key functions in electrochemical reactors, including thermodynamics, kinetics, and mass transport. (B) Evaluate novel materials for CO2 electrochemical conversion. This seed project aims to fundamentally understand the impact of electrode material architecture on overall faradaic efficiency, in particular mass transfer. Improved performance in synthesizing electrode materials is the ultimate goal, facilitated by the sophisticated control of the technique. (C) Building a scientific community on science and engineering of architected 3D printed materials for electrochemical systems, which would be unique in the Netherlands.
Toward Next Generation Metal-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Toward Next Generation Metal-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Applicant:
Dr. D. Giuntini (TU/e), and Dr. D. Jafari (UTwente)
Type of Funding:
Rapid Research
Proposal Summary:
This proposal is a creation of joint proof-of-concept research. This project aims to advance porous electrodes in metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Metal-supported SOFCs are promising for their fast startup, strength, and cost-effectiveness. It has become clear that this material design holds great promise for SOFC performance. Manufacturability issues are however currently hampering further developments. To address these, we propose integrating advanced sintering technologies and plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coating. Tailored sintering allows tuning porosity gradients within the electrodes. PEO transforms the conductive substrate into an oxide layer through a high-voltage electrochemical process. We hypothesize that this integration can enhance both performance and durability of metal-supported SOFCs.
Two one-day workshops to stimulate collaborations and address Energy Transition challenges in horticulture sector
Two one-day workshops to stimulate collaborations and address Energy Transition challenges in horticulture sector
Applicant:
Dr. Congcong Sun (WUR), Prof. Eldert van Henten (WUR), Dr. Xiaodong Cheng (WUR), and Dr. Phuong Nguyen (TU/e)
Type of Funding:
Community Activity
Proposal Summary:
Two one-day workshops are expected to be planned, one in the second quarter and another in the fourth quarter of 2024. Each workshop expects between 50 to 100 attendees, with approximately 40% researchers (from 4TU or any other research centres in the Netherlands.), 40% stakeholders (from greenhouse technology companies like Priva, Signify, Philips; sustainable energy companies like Siemens, Schneider, Vattenfall, etc.) and 20% end users (e.g. greenhouse growers).
The workshops will start with plenary presentations to provide a general view of the current status of green energy usage in horticulture, the current challenges, the unsolved problems, the main needs, etc.. This will be followed by a few subsection discussions and plenary discussion sections. The first workshop expects to generate a report with the status, main technical and societal challenges of energy transition in horticulture, as well as a few potential solutions with a clear potential collaboration plans. The second one aims to update the progress planned in the first workshop, showcase results if there are any. Besides the results and reports generated from the workshops, we are also expecting follow-up proposals and projects, as well as regular workshops and activities organized based on the 4TU.Energy platform on this line.