Project ID: RESZNC

Project Director: Dr. Mihaela Baibarac

Project Type: International

Project Program: COFUND-LEAP-SE-RESZNC-1

Funded by: Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, UEFISCDI

Contractor: National Institute of Materials Physics

Start Date: 2026

End Date: 30.04.2029

Project Abstract:

In this project, the recycling of constituents of spent ZCBs will involve their dismantling, the removal of the compounds NH₄Cl, MnOOH, Zn(NH₃)₂Cl₂, MnO₂ by interaction with HCl, and the use of the recovered graphite (G) powder to prepare reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The innovation envisages the use of RGO, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and transitional metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) nanoparticles (NPs), as well as their composites, as electrode active materials in symmetric supercapacitors (SSCs), asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs), hybrid supercapacitors (HSCs), sodium-ion battery (SIB) & Li-ion battery (LIB). The optimization of composite materials as electrode active materials (EAMs) as well as the electrolytes used in the new energy storage devices (ESDs) will be carried out with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The consortium consists of 7 partners from the institutional research sector & one partner from a commercial company. Thus, three partners are from EU, i.e. National Institute of Materials Physics (NIMP, Romania), Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology (IEMN, France) & IT Center for Science and Technology (CITST, Romania) as Small & Medium Enterprise (SME), and 4 academic entities from AU, i.e., Badji Mokhtar University (UBMA, Algeria), Tabbin Institute for Metallurgical Studies (TIMS, Egypt), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P, Morocco) & University Cadi Ayyad (UCA, Morocco). The expected impact of outcomes & potential benefits are: a) access to recyclable technology with impact on the environment, for the beneficiaries from African Union (AU) & European Union (EU); b) the development of new composites of the type RGO@TMDs & RGO@CNTs @TMDs for applications in the field of ESDs; c) the assessment of the characteristics of SSCs, ASCs, HSCs, SIBs & LIBs comprising compounds based on RGO as EAMs; d) the formation of a new younger generation with expertise in the field of SCs, LIBs & SIBs as well as waste management; e) the know-ledge/technological transfer, which will strengthen the cooperation between the institutions, having a direct benefit on the energy security of each country, enabling waste management in the field of ESDs.