Fast-Smart project, coordinated by Prof. Yi Qin from the University of Strathclyde, was succesfully completed and the Final Review Meeting was held on October 25th online. Representatives from the 13 partner organizations, shared the latest achievements to the Project Officer Dr. George Kotsikos and the Project Monitor, Dr. Victoria Folea. Following an extensive 48-month journey, the project successfully showcased its achievements in developing energy harvesters based on new smart materials, excluding elements that could harm the environment or are not available in Europe’s mining portfolio. The project focused on synthesizing piezoelectric and thermoelectric materials tested in three application fields: sensors for railway track vibration detection, hybrid solar panels, and automotive (exhaust systems for energy harvesting).
At the final review meeting, R-NanoLab delivered a presentation as the leader of WP5, on Materials Recycling and Parts Reuse. This included strategies and methods for end-of-life (EoL) management of energy harvesters and the reuse of materials and components. Additionally, R-NanoLab was involved in a task in WP2 for developing Materials for Energy Harvesting. Specifically, TE/CNT nanocomposites were developed through CVD and Sol-Gel synthesis. R-NanoLab contributed also to WP3 related to the Manufacturing for Functional Components and Assembly, focusing on nanocomposite coatings through co-electrodeposition techniques on thermoelectric materials.