The project

The main goal of the NanOx4EStor project is to develop innovative and cost effective high-throughput technologies for the fabrication of advanced supercapacitors based on wake-up free (pseudo-)binary oxide thin films, fabricated by Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) processes, with optimized ferroelectric and Energy Storage (ES) properties through (i) strain, (ii) interface and (iii) dead-layer engineering

objectives

The NanOx4EStor vision will be realized by the following specific objectives :

Develop Energy Storage (ES) supercapacitors

with Energy Storage Density (ESD) > 150 Jcm-3, temperature operating range up to 300 oC, charge/discharge time <50 ns and stability up to 109 cycles.
These capacitors will find a space for enhanced and innovative applications, such as ES supercapacitors and FeRAMs on flexible substrates.

Design, fabrication and prototyping of an ES supercapacitor

to be used in pulsed power applications, such as a DC bus capacitor in electric vehicles. Optimization of its performance as compared to the performance of the existent ones.

To perform comparative analysis of all supercapacitors

processed by PVD techniques and to select the most promising ones for industrial applications.

Study of these systems should enable an array of new or improved flexible and transparent devices such as (i) ES supercapacitors with very high ESD, efficiency, temperature stable and fatigue free and (ii) flexible memories. Moreover, NanOx4EStor contributes to the progress of the scientific knowledge in the new and perspective active area of ES supercapacitors, through International technological cooperation between recognized research groups. In addition, we will contribute to the formation of young students (MSc, PhD) and create a patent related with the fabrication of the proposed ES devices.

NanOx4EStor - Nanoscaled ferroelectric (pseudo)-binary oxide thin film supercapacitors for flexible and ultrafast pulsed power electronics

This project has received funding under the Joint Call 2021 of the M-ERA.NET3, an ERA-NET Cofund supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 958174. This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the M-ERA.NET NanOx4EStor Contract no. M-ERA-NET3/0003/2021, by Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) and by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)

M-ERA.NET

European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme

Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology

UEFISCDI

Agence nationale de la recherche

THE PROJECT PARTNER


The Coordinator, University of Minho, established in Braga, Portugal

represented by José P. B. Silva


National Institute of Materials Physics, established in Magurele, Romania

represented by Corneliu Ghica


Ecole Centrale de Lyon, established in Ecully, France

represented by Bertrand Vilquin

External Advisory Board

Prof. Judith MacManus-Driscoll, Professor in the Materials Science at the University of Cambridge. She is also Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies. She is fellow of IOP, IOM3, WES, APS, MRS, and the Royal Academy of Engineering. She research work is in the area of oxide thin film engineering for low power IT and energy devices. She is interested in both understanding of basic functionalities and in engineering new interfacial-driven properties. For this purpose, she designs, fabricates and analyses novel nanostructured films.

Dr. Stéphane Monfray is currently a Principal Engineer with STMicroelectronics and an expert in advanced technologies. He is also the author or coauthor of more than 130 publications and received the Grand Prix of electronics General Ferrié in 2012. He has over ten years of experience on advanced CMOS technologies.

Rosa João Dias, is the Ecosystem Manager of the Corroios Competence Center (CoC) for Electric Mobility, located at the Corroios Production Unit. This CoC is responsible for the Innovation and Development of Heavy Vehicle Electric Mobility for Siemens AG. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and an MBA from Nova SBE and Universidade Católica.
He started his career in the laboratories of the national network (EDP Labelec), having later worked on protection relays for substations and on the Smartgrid initiative.
He has deep technical and market knowledge in the Electric Mobility Area.

NEWS

 

The project kickoff meeting is scheduled for the end of November 2022 at University of Braga.

Newsletters

Newsletter 1 : November 2022

Newsletter 2 : March 2023

Dissemination

Publications

1. V. Lenzi, J. P. B. Silva, B. Šmíd, V. Matolín, C. M. Istrate, C. Ghica, J. L. MacManus-Driscoll, L. Marques, “Ferroelectricity induced by oxygen vacancies in rhombohedral ZrO2 thin films” Energy & Environmental Materials (2022), In press. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eem2.12500. (IF:13.443; Q1)

Conference presentations and proceedings

3. V. Lenzi, J. P. B. Silva, L. Marques, Ferroelectric phases in epitaxial ZrO2 thin films achieved by substrate orientation control. E-MRS 2022 Fall Meeting in Warsaw, Poland (19–22 September 2022).
2. B. Vilquin, Influence of the electrode interface on the properties of ferroelectric HfZrO2. Oral presentation at Novel High-k Application Workshop 2022 in Dresden, Germany (12-13 September 2022).
1. J. P. B. Silva, Ferroelectric orthorhombic and rhombohedral phases in ZrO2 thin films. Oral presentation at Novel High-k Application Workshop 2022 in Dresden, Germany (12-13 September 2022).

Contact

Project Coordinator

Dr. José P. B. Silva

Researcher
Centre of Physics - University of Minho
Campus de Gualtar, 4710 – 057, Braga, Portugal