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27 Jan 2025

IMB-CNM drives energy transition with innovative clean energy projects

On the occasion of International Clean Energy Day, the institute highlights four key initiatives in energy storage technologies, power converters and thermoelectric microgenerators, reinforcing its commitment to a sustainable future.

Composición con unas manos que sujetan la Tierra con ejemplos de energía limpia y el título "IMB-CNM drives energy transition with innovative clean energy projects". iStock

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In a world facing urgent challenges such as climate change, energy transition has become a global priority. The Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona works on the development of innovative solutions that promote the use of clean energy, optimizing its efficiency and facilitating its implementation to promote a sustainable future. On the International Clean Energy Day, established by the United Nations on January 26, IMB-CNM reaffirms its commitment to address these challenges with microelectronics.

Five of IMB-CNM's eight research groups have research projects focused on clean energy, mainly in energy storage technologies, power converters or thermoelectric microgenerators. In addition, the research staff working in these fields is integrated within the Institute's Energy and Mobility Axis to promote synergies and collaborations.

On the occasion of Clean Energy Day, Energy Day (February 14) and Energy Efficiency Day (March 5), the IMB-CNM is organizing two sessions to present research projects. On February 7, those focused on the improvement of energy harvesting technologies will be presented, and on March 14 there will be a second part on initiatives focused on the improvement of power components to optimize energy efficiency.

Transforming power generation for low-power devices

The nanoDecoTEG (Micro Thermoelectric Harvesters based on Nanostructured Thin films) and ThinTEG (Silicon based micro thermoelectric generators with thin film silicides and perovskite) projects focus on developing micro thermoelectric generators (uTEGs) based on nanostructured thin films and/or energetically affordable materials, which are non-strategic and environmentally friendly. These uTEGs devices could supply the necessary energy to autonomous sensors and actuators that require low power consumption (sub-Watt), while also occupying minimal space.

"Both projects are based on the hypothesis that it is possible to create functional materials from thin layers of silicides, peroskites or nanostructured or decorated thin films, with optimized thermal and electrical properties that can also be integrated with standard silicon technologies in planar uTEGs, and can be applied to many scenarios where low-power sensors are required, for example," explains Llibertat Abad, a researcher at IMB-CNM.

With downscaling, the efficiency of thermal machines is also reduced. Moreover, in waste heat environments, thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are presented as a more efficient and sustainable alternative to batteries in Internet of Things applications. Replacing batteries, made from scarce and expensive materials, with thermoelectric microgenerators (uTEGs) made from abundant and inexpensive materials will help reduce pollution and mitigate climate change, favoring the ecological transition.

Both projects are led by Llibertat Abad and Marc Salleras. nanoDecoTEG is an Ecological and Digital Transition 2021 Project funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) and by European Union Next Generation funds; coordinated by IMB-CNM and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. ThinTEG is funded by MICIU and FEDER, coordinated by IMB-CNM and the Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya (IREC). In both cases, research staff from the MicroEnergy Sources and Sensor Integration Group (MESSI) at IMB-CNM, such as Abad, Salleras, Luis Fonseca, Joaquín Santander and Carlos Carbonell, are participating. Marta Fernández, Iñigo Martín and Francesc Pérez-Murano from the NEMS and Nanofabrication Group (NANONEMS) are also participating in nanoDecoTEG.

The nanoDecoTEG and ThinTEG projects focus on developing micro thermoelectric generators (uTEGs) based on nanostructured thin films and/or energetically affordable materials, which are non-strategic and environmentally friendly.

Transforming renewable energy storage in adverse scenarios

The EPISTORE (Thin Film Reversible Solid Oxide Cells for Ultracompact Electrical Energy Storage) project seeks to transform the energy storage sector by developing ultra-compact thin film reversible solid cells (TF-rSOCs) for generation and transportation applications. These technologies will enable more efficient and sustainable storage of renewable energy, especially in scenarios where conventional batteries are not viable, such as offshore power generation or long-term storage.

TF-rSOCs cells combine advances in nano-scale technology with never-before-explored materials, offering radical Power-to-Gas (P2G) and Power-to-Power (P2P) storage solutions that are more compact, faster and with minimal use of critical materials. This innovative approach addresses current limitations, such as the use of rare materials and large dimensions, creating a technological basis for scalable and economically viable solutions.

“EPISTORE empowers green energy by facilitating the efficient storage of renewable energy using ultra-compact reversible solid cells (TF-rSOCs). This makes it possible to overcome the intermittency of sources such as wind or solar, converting electricity into green hydrogen or other fuels,” explains Marc Salleras, a researcher at IMB-CNM. In addition, “it reduces CO2 emissions, extends the use of renewables to sectors that are difficult to decarbonize and minimizes the use of critical materials, making the energy transition more sustainable and viable,” he adds.

The project is funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 program and also involves staff from the MESSI group at IMB-CNM, led by Luis Fonseca and with the collaboration of Salleras, Marta Fernández and Iñigo Martín.

EPISTORE project seeks to transform the energy storage sector by developing ultra-compact thin film reversible solid cells (TF-rSOCs) for generation and transportation applications. These technologies will enable more efficient and sustainable storage of renewable energy, especially in scenarios where conventional batteries are not viable, such as offshore power generation or long-term storage.

Transforming environmental humidity into electricity

The MESSI group and the NanoUP group (Nanochemistry and Supramolecular Materials) of the Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2) have started a collaboration to develop a MEG (Moisture Electric Generator) device, capable of transforming the humidity present in the air into electrical energy. Although this technology is still in its early stages, its revolutionary potential is enormous.

Water vapor is an abundant resource, even in arid areas. Over the years, strategies present in nature - such as those of the Namib desert beetle or cactus spines - have inspired the design of water capture technologies, mainly based on condensation at the dew point. However, the goal of this project goes beyond collecting water: it focuses on phenomena such as absorption, transport, phase changes of water, and the subsequent generation and transport of ions within advanced materials.

In essence, the device consists of a material designed to generate an ionic gradient spontaneously, taking advantage of differences in water vapor concentration between different zones of its structure or directly creating a structural and/or compositional gradient. "Through careful nanoengineering of the porosity and surface, moisture is absorbed and moves inside the material, causing a charge transfer (described by laws such as Fick diffusion and ionic migration according to the Nernst-Einstein relation) that finally translates into electric current. Thanks to these gradients, the MEG can supply continuous energy as long as there is steam in the environment,” says Carlos Carbonell, researcher of the MESSI group and principal investigator of the project.

To turn MEG into a viable source for applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT) or portable health monitors, the team is working on the optimization of ultraporous materials and advanced polymers - from the molecular to the macroscopic scale - and delving into the mechanisms that allow moisture to be converted into electricity. This is a rapidly evolving field that could be combined with other generation technologies, such as thermo-, piezo- or triboelectricity, to be integrated into fields as diverse as smart clothing, precision medicine or architecture.

This collaboration represents a fundamental step towards sustainable energy solutions, capable of taking advantage of such an omnipresent resource as environmental humidity to produce clean, renewable electricity.

The initiative involves Carbonell, Abad, Salleras and Arani Choudhury from IMB-CNM and Sahel Fajal and Inhar Imaz from ICN2.

The device consists of a material designed to generate an ionic gradient spontaneously, taking advantage of differences in water vapor concentration between different zones of its structure or directly creating a structural and/or compositional gradient.