Accelerated design and synthesis of advanced and sustainable materials to drive energy storage and conversion as key technologies for the energy transition

The CICe2025 project aims to accelerate the discovery of advanced materials for energy storage and conversion through computational screening, machine learning, advanced synthesis, and experimental validation. The project prioritizes the use of abundant, low-cost materials for redox flow batteries, Li-S batteries, CO₂-to-ethanol conversion, and green hydrogen production. This strategy will shorten development and scale-up timelines, improve performance, stability, and sustainability, and strengthen the industrial competitiveness of the Basque Country by facilitating the adoption of key technologies in energy storage, sustainable mobility, and decarbonization.

Europe is committed to achieving a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, reducing fossil fuel dependence, and advancing energy storage, green hydrogen, and CO₂ capture and reuse. Advanced materials are critical to this transition, representing 20% of the EU’s industrial base and 70% of technical innovations. Optimizing materials improves performance, reduces costs, and minimizes environmental impact, helping to meet the goals of the European Green Deal. The Materials 2030 Roadmap emphasizes the convergence of digital technologies, advanced computing, and automated synthesis as essential tools to accelerate the development of multifunctional materials and strengthen strategic autonomy and global industrial leadership.

This vision also aligns with the Basque Energy Strategy 2030, which aims to reduce fossil fuel dependency, increase energy efficiency, and promote renewable energy across all sectors, in line with the recently passed Basque Energy Transition and Climate Change Law.

CICe2025 aligns with both European and Basque strategies by accelerating the discovery, optimization, and validation of functional materials for key energy technologies. It will help reduce costs, improve efficiency, and speed up the implementation of sustainable solutions, facilitating their transition from lab to industry. CICe2025 is a strategic opportunity for the Basque Country, enabling:

• Acceleration of the energy transition by developing advanced materials for energy storage, green hydrogen, and CO₂ conversion into sustainable fuels.

• Generation of disruptive knowledge by integrating digital technologies to design advanced, lower-impact, and lower-cost materials, supporting the development of new technologies and the optimization of existing ones.

• Consolidation of innovation leadership, reinforcing the Basque Country's position as a leader in the development of advanced energy materials and promoting the region as a research and innovation hub in this crucial area.

• Alignment with key European and regional strategies, such as the Basque Green Deal, EEE2030, the Basque Sustainable Mobility Strategy, the Basque Energy Transition and Climate Change Law, and the Circular Economy Strategy 2030, following the EU's March 2023 recommendation for a secure and carbon-free energy system.

From a technological innovation and challenge perspective, CICe2025 focuses on the accelerated discovery and development of materials for three key energy applications:

1. Energy storage, exploring next-generation batteries such as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) and redox flow batteries.

2. CO₂ conversion into sustainable fuels, developing ethanol production via thermocatalytic and electrochemical pathways.

3. Green hydrogen generation, exploring both thermocatalytic and electrochemical production methods.

The project addresses major innovations to develop and validate advanced materials that will:

• Overcome current limitations in energy density, stability, lifespan, and cost in energy storage technologies, supporting their market adoption.

• Improve efficiency and selectivity in CO₂-to-ethanol conversion by reducing energy consumption through advanced catalysts.

• Make green hydrogen production more accessible by developing stable, low-cost catalysts.

CICe2025 will generate knowledge through four work packages:

• WP1 – Identification and selection of descriptors, enabling efficient screening of promising candidates and accelerating materials discovery.

• WP2 – Computational screening of advanced materials.

• WP3 – Experimental screening with high-throughput-oriented synthesis and characterization, optimizing key materials for the project’s energy applications.

• WP4 – System integration and validation, tackling challenges in Li-S battery optimization, redox flow battery development, CO₂ conversion, and green H₂ production.