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The European Innovation Council (EIC) has established an initiative aimed at boosting cutting-edge technologies from the laboratory to real-world applications. The EIC Transition program provides crucial support to research organizations, start-ups small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), for maturing their innovations and bridging the gap between groundbreaking research and market-ready solutions.
OxyBatt (“high-temperature oxygen batteries for industrial Internet of Things”) is one of the 27 granted projects under this scheme during the first call of 2024 and will develop a portable battery operating at high temperatures above 150 ºC. The core of this new battery solution is a thin-film rechargeable system that utilizes oxygen storage, with no reliance on scarce elements such as Li. During the project, the product will be coupled to a thermoelectric energy source and will be integrated into a commercial industrial internet of things device (IIoT), demonstrating the potential to enter the important market of predictive maintenance in harsh industrial environments as a safe and sustainable solution.
The project joins the forces of 5 strong European entities in the field, and combines technology developers (IREC, Vienna University of Technology, Nano4energy), IIoT device manufacturers (AEInnova) and business developers (DayOne).
“The OxyBatt project represents a unique opportunity,” says Federico Baiutti, senior researcher in the Nanoionics and Fuel Cells group at IREC and project coordinator. “Our battery technology can work in harsh industrial settings that are currently inaccessible to any storage system. It is easy to integrate in existing IIoT devices and will enable to introduce predictive maintenance practices for improved safety and optimization of industrial processes”.
OxyBatt has been granted 2.5M€, starting on May 2024 and lasting for 36 months. The project builds on previous research from Harvestore, where the proof-of-concept for the oxygen battery was demonstrated.