Materials for the energy transition lecture

In February, a lecture on materials and the circular economy for low carbon technologies was delivered to chemistry students at the University of Warwick by UK R&D Research Engineers Daisy De Selliers and Louis Martine.

The lecture followed a seed funding research project: CircEnergyTech on materials and the circular economy for low carbon technologies. It presented the key challenges related to critical materials composing low carbon technologies, including material extraction impacts and supply chain risks. The lecture also covered opportunities to address these risks and deploy low carbon technologies while considering their lifecycle, from design to end-of-life. 

Knowledge Sharing

This was an opportunity to share knowledge developed as part of the seed funding project, where UK R&D collaborated with international R&D centres in France, Italy, China and the US in 2024. The team also learnt about research lead by the course professor, and the recent developments in chemistry. 

Next generation materials

The topic of materials for the energy transition is very relevant for future chemists, as they are developing their skills to develop sustainable materials that enhance resource efficiency, minimise waste and maximise resource revalorisation. They have the potential to create next generation materials to drive the energy transition while ensuring a circular economy, a system that reuses and regenerates materials or products to be more sustainable. 

Next steps

Ross Hatton, Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Warwick, provided positive feedback and invited the researchers to deliver the lecture again in the future. Discussions on his research will allow future collaboration opportunities between EDF R&D and the University of Warwick.