LOLIPOP - HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-01 - PES-HORISONT-EU Project Establishment Support

LOLIPOP develops new low light PV and innovative inter-crosslinked Carbon Nano Tube supercapacitors with higher energy density, combined in an energy harvesting architecture eliminating the need for coin cells in an expanded range of applications. Three application demonstrators will be used to validate the new technologies in a range of applications. A virtual demonstrator allows appraisal of the technologies and exploitation after the project. nanoCaps will in LOLIPOP aims to design, develop, and prototype a pre-industrial SC with battery-like performance using advanced functionalised interconnected crosslinked carbon nanotubes as electrode materials, and high-safety hybrid electrolyte with wide electrochemical stability window (ESW) and compatible with redox-active electrod materials, promoting market uptaking. The produced pre-industrial cells will target a battery-like energy density of >50 Wh/kg, power density of >100 Wh/kg, and cycling life of >10 million cycles. This project aims at reaching a Technological Readiness Level (TRL) 6 by producing the SC cell in an industrial environment. Supercapacitors (SCs) are promising electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems that can drastically reduce or even eliminate the use of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) (e.g., Li, Co) compared to current market-dominating technologies, including Li-ion batteries (LiBs). In general, SC does not need any fire protection as it is not susceptible to thermal runaway that can be the cause of dangerous explosion. As a major drawback, the energy density of commercially available SCs is way lower than LIBs. Novel nanostructured electrode materials and their engineering through physical/chemical functionalisation incorporating redox-active groups, as well as their hybridization, can substantially improve the energy density of SCs, approaching the values of batteries.