Luís Pereira, professor of the NOVA School of Science and Technology | FCT NOVA at the Materials Science Department and researcher at CENIMAT, has just received an ERC (European Research Council) grant for the EXCELL project in the amount of 150 thousand euros. The project aims to create battery cell separators based on a cellulose nanocomposite, in an approach that favours the use of materials of natural origin and therefore a fundamental step to increase sustainability in the value chain of batteries, increasingly used in the current scenario.
This is a Proof of Concept grant, awarded to a researcher already distinguished by an ERC grant, whose funding will serve to move from theory to practice: understand the feasibility of scientific concepts under development as well as explore business opportunities or prepare patent applications. In this case, the EXCELL grant follows on from the ERC-Starting Grant NEWFUN awarded in 2015 to Luís Pereira, where it was demonstrated that cellulose-based ionic conductive materials can be recycled and reused, while maintaining electrochemical performance.
European Research Council (ERC) grants reward talent and cutting-edge scientific research. Known as grants of excellence or “millionaire” grants, ERC grants are the most prestigious and competitive in Europe. With this one, there are already 29 ERC grants awarded to researchers from NOVA University Lisbon.