Workshop on energetic materials brings together scientists from VSB-TUO and Fraunhofer ICT

This meeting was organised as part of the new initiative Advanced Materials for Energy and Environmental Technologies, which is supported by the Intersectoral Cooperation for the ITI call within the Operational Programme Jan Amos Comenius. The programme encourages practical applications of research findings and fosters partnerships between researchers and industry.

"The aim of the workshop was to identify research topics for collaboration in the field of thermal energy management and storage and to establish connections between researchers from both institutions," said Vladislav Kolarik from Fraunhofer ICT.

On behalf of VSB-TUO, experts from the Nanotechnology Centre and the Energy Research Centre, both part of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies, and the Faculty of Materials Science and Technology presented their research. Our German partners were represented by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (Fraunhofer ICT), which is also involved in the Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Applied Artificial Intelligence for Materials & Manufacturing at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava (FIP-AI@VSB-TUO). The presentations covered areas such as paraffin-based energetic materials for space applications, materials for thermal energy storage in construction and electronics, as well as phase change materials for long-term thermal energy storage, including studies of auto-crystallisation processes and potential applications. Researchers also discussed adsorptive heat transformation and thermochemical heat storage systems, focusing on adsorption equilibria and adsorption kinetics.

"In addition to these topics, we discussed the possibility of further collaboration in the field of polymer nanocomposites and high-temperature materials. The discussions were very productive, and we agreed on specific areas for targeted joint research. Our next meeting, scheduled for spring 2025, will provide an opportunity to review the initial results of these collaborations," said Daniela Plachá, the project’s principal investigator.

Besides planning for an additional joint workshop, participants agreed on concrete steps to fulfil their collaboration goals. These include a joint publication, the exchange of adsorption data for testing purposes, and the exploration of possible artificial intelligence methodologies in thermal energy storage research.

The Advanced Materials for Energy and Environmental Technologies project aligns with the REFRESH project, specifically with the Energy Lab under EL1 Materials Research for Energy and Environmental Applications and the Materials-Envi Lab under MEL6 Materials Technologies for Engineering, Steel and Metallurgy.

Workshop presentations:

• Bedřich Smetana: Energetic Materials and Thermal Energy Storage Materials Based on Paraffin Thermophysical Study of WAX „pilot testing – preliminary study”
• Jakub Čespiva: Critical Crystallisation Issue in Sodium Acetate-Based Latent Heat Accumulation Substance
• Jiří Ryšavý: Optimization of Metastable Supercooled Liquid Phase Change Material for Long-Term Heat Energy Accumulation
• Daniela Plachá: Application of Polymer Composites in Materials for Heat Energy Storage Systems
• Christian Teicht: Adsorptive Heat Transformation and Thermochemical Heat Storage Systems: Investigation of Adsorption Equilibria and Adsorption Kinetics
• Moritz Walter: Phase Change Materials in Technical Applications - Innovations along the Entire Design and Implementation Process
• Vladislav Kolarik: Materials for Energy Operating at High Temperatures

Text: Martina Šaradínová, PR specialist for R&D

Photo credit: Petr Havlíček

VSB – Technical University of Ostrava

Advanced Materials for Energy and Environmental Technologies

Reg. No.: CZ.02.01.01/00/23_021/0008592