IMDEA Energy is developing new materials for a sustainable future. This is the case of Nanostructured Conjugated Porous Polymers, nanoCPP, protected by two patents, one of which is pending in Europe. Due to the remarkable properties of Conjugated Porous Polymers such as high micro- and mesoporosity, light harvesting, high conductivity, and great thermal, chemical and photostability and the processing attributes that provides nanostructuring, that are not available in bulk synthesized materials, the nanoCPP, can be used for a wide range of applications in markets with big growth expectations:

  • Thin films and coatings, especially for electrodes, electrochemical devices, photovoltaic applications and dye sensitized solar cells.
  • Catalysts and chemical reactions: oxidation, charge carriers, photocatalysts,… They can be applied in new processes for environmental improvement and the production of sustainable fuels.
  • Polymeric membranes.
  • Gas storage.

The developed technology combines:

  • The process to synthetize different nanoCPP with properties that combine high micro- and mesoporosity, and great thermal, chemical and photostability, as well as other properties that may be tailored for the different applications such as light harvesting, conductivity, etc.
  • The development of new synthetic methodologies that improve and facilitate the scale up for their industrial production as well as the processability of nanostructured materials by reducing the particle size to a nanometer range and achieving, at the same time, control of particle size to obtain a smaller dispersion.
  • The different materials nanoCPP, including hybrid materials and inorganic semiconductors, with particular applications according to their chemical composition, structure and properties. In addition, nanoCPP can be processed in liquid phase in order to be applied in thin layers or using plastic technologies such as extrusion, injection, etc.

The innovative materials developed at IMDEA Energy will be presented by the senior researcher Marta Liras in the “Sustainable Future” panel focused on materials for sustainability to be held on November 15th 2022 at 14:40 in Barcelona organized by Puzzle X, the leading global platform for frontier tech for sustainable future, together with the Smart City Expo World Congress.