Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage

The continued combustion of fossil fuels to satisfy a growing energy demand have led the world to the brink of a climate crisis. We can no longer transfer carbon from the lithosphere into the atmosphere to obtain our energy, chemicals, materials, and fuels. Instead, we must re-cycle elements already present in the atmosphere or biosphere to produce recyclable carriers for renewable energy. Closing the associated water and carbon dioxide cycles will be crucial for this challenge, as this holds the key to store sustainable energy in synthetic chemicals (=fuels). Our vision is to create a leading Energy Materials Research Centre enabling the understanding and design of efficient energy conversion, paving the way towards a fossil fuel-free society. Abundant molecules such as water and carbon dioxide are the ideal feedstock for the chemical storage of energy created from renewable sources. Two potential routes are splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen, and converting carbon dioxide into higher-value products: commodity chemicals (formic acid, formaldehyde, methanol, methane as substitute natural gas), and fuels (longer-chain alkanes, olefines). The most-promising conversion processes are electrocatalysis (using electricity) and photocatalysis (using sunlight), but they suffer from low efficiencies and the need for precious metal catalysts. We need to replace rare with abundant elements or discover alternative, inexpensive catalysts with high activity, selectivity, and stability. To achieve these goals, we need to understand the fundamental processes, mechanisms, and material properties of photo- and electrocatalysts at the most basic, the atomic scale. We also need to establish how the surfaces/interfaces function on a molecular level over a wide parameter range, particularly under the working conditions of the catalysts. A long-term secondary goal of MECS will be to transfer the fundamental understanding and design of advanced energy materials to applications via interactions with industry and relevant stakeholders. The multi-faceted nature of the problem calls for a interdisciplinary approach exploiting synergies and cross- fertilization. This COE brings together our country`s best minds and provides them with the means to cooperate and create a sustainable network that promises scientific breakthroughs and attracts future talent. The team includes experts in physics, chemistry, surface and material science, and leaders in computational modeling. Promoting young scientists, the COE includes a structured doctorate program for PhDs and special training for postdocs and early career researchers. Interactions with stakeholders will be intertwined with scientific and technical studies. The Board of Directors includes Ulrike Diebold (TU Wien), Stefan Freunberger (IST Austria), Leticia Gonzlez (Universität Wien), Julia Kunze-Liebhäuser (Universität Innsbruck), and Günther Rupprechter (TU Wien; Director of Research).