Projects

Upcycling of NdFeB magnets for pharmaceutical, chemical and hydrogen applications (NEO-CYCLE)

Grant type: HORIZON Europe Research and Innovation Actions

Grant number: 101138058

Project Leader at WUT: Prof. Wioletta Raróg-Pilecka

Funding: European Union

Period of Implementation: 09.2024 – 08.2028

Objectives:

A summary of the main activities in provide below:

1) Demonstration of a Solid-State Chlorination, Electrochemical and Purification processes at TRL6 to separate Nd, Fe and B reaching market needed purities.

2) Demonstration of upcycling approaches for Nd, Fe, and B at TRL6 by developing industrial catalysts for the four case studies.

3) Validation of the quality and performance of final products by leading commercial companies

4) Including processes and products digitalisation: mathematical modelling and optimisation, monitoring and digital twins of plants, and digital product passports.

5) Sustainability assessments (LCA, LCC, s-LCA, circularity, risk and energy efficiency, green logistics and TEA) to demonstrate the techno-economic and social viability of solutions, including a guide to consider the gender dimension in the different project stages.

6) Paving the way to the market uptake by

1. a) assessments of current legislations and future development,
2. b) performing standardisation roadmap,
3. c) plan and develop communication, dissemination and exploitation activities including clustering with other projects and at least 13 stakeholder engagement events,
4. d) creating new business models for at least 11 Key Expected Results,
5. e) development of 13 training courses targeting soft and technical skills to promote inclusion and new jobs in the value chains

Towards sustainable and safe energy storage – new polymer systems in lithium-ion battery design

Grant type: OPUS-29

Grant number: 2025/57/B/ST5/03718

Project Leaders:

Dr Bartosz Hamankiewicz (UW)

Dr hab. Prof. Uczelni Aldona Zalewska (WUT)

Funding: National Science Centre

Period of Implementation: 01.2026 – 09.2029

Objectives:

1. Synthesis and Structural Stabilization of Doped LNO (LiNiO₂) Cathode

Designing and synthesizing a series of cobalt-free, lithium nickel oxide (LNO) cathode materials doped with selected transition metals (e.g., Cu, Ti, Mo, V) using primarily solid-state synthesis methods, focusing on mitigating cation disorder and suppressing detrimental phase transitions during deep delithiation.

2. Development and In-Situ Polymerization of Tailored Gel Polymer Electrolytes (GPEs)

Developing and optimizing in-situ synthesized gel polymer electrolytes via direct polymerization and chemical crosslinking of alkyl methacrylates within carbonate- and glyme-based solvents to achieve high room-temperature ionic conductivity.

3. Enhancement of Operational Safety and Scalability of Next-Generation Batteries

Eliminating volatile and flammable liquid components through the implementation of a chemically crosslinked gel matrix, thereby reducing the risk of thermal runaway and enabling the safe, scalable operation of high-capacity lithium batteries with standard electrode thicknesses.