NEST novel materials WP 9.1_e
Materials as steels with improved surface properties NEST spoke 9 WP 9.1
17 August 2025
The program NEST
NEST – Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition – is one of the 14 major extended partnership projects selected by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU – as part of Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.3 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Its goal is to finance fundamental research projects to strengthen national research supply chains and promote their participation in strategic European and global value chains.
web page NEST
NEST spoke 9 Energy-sustainable advanced materials
The main objective is to develop advanced materials and technologies capable of improving device efficiency while reducing their carbon footprint, offering both environmental and economic benefits for energy applications. The aim is to create green synthesis protocols to enhance sustainability and minimize the environmental impact of processes. In addition, advanced techniques for chemical, structural, morphological, and functional characterization will be implemented to boost material performance and innovation.
The work within the NEST spoke 9 program is organized into several work packages (WP): WP 9.1 “Novel materials and innovative and efficient synthesis of sustainable materials for energy applications” and WP 9.4, titled “Materials testing and characterisation.” The project led by the Surface Analysis, Electrochemistry, and Corrosion group is entitled Materials as steels with improved surface properties (hydrogen permeation barriers – HPB).
Project WP 9.1 Materials as steels with improved surface properties (hydrogen permeation barriers – HPB)
Duration:
Funding:
Coordinator:
Objective: Hydrogen became one of the most investigated energy carriers after the global energy crisis of 1974: “green hydrogen” can be easily generated by electrolysis from renewable sources, and it can replace gas and oil as a clean fuel, becoming the primary energy carrier in the future. The main problem to be solved is the safe storage and long-distance transportation of hydrogen due to hydrogen embrittlement of high-strength steel. This problem has become the driving force behind research into new materials for use as hydrogen permeation barriers.