This project seeks to develop the first micrometric-size Ultra-Efficient Wireless POwered Micro-robotic joint (UWIPOM2), enabling the creation of micro-robotic complex mechanisms for minimally invasive micro-surgery techniques and in-vivo health treatments. The foreseen robotic joint will contain a micro-motor connected to a new type of long-lasting gearbox which reduces drastically friction and simplifies assembly. Moreover, the robotic joint (motor + gear) will be wireless powered through gigahertz electromagnetic waves, thus providing infinite autonomy to any tool or micro-robot activated by UWIPOM2. The scientific-technological aim is to create the first building block able to power future healthcare micro-robots. Test in in-vivo like environment will be done to demonstrate its feasibility. If the risky scientific and technological challenges hereby proposed are overcome, radically new outstanding minimally invasive micro-surgery techniques and new non-invasive inside body treatments will be enabled, saving thousands of lives.

PASSENGER addresses to the topic CE-SC5-10-2020 on raw materials innovation under subtopic d) Pilots on substitution of critical and scarce raw materials (2020). PASSENGER aims to develop innovative pilots to address an aspect of high economical, technological, social and environmental relevance: a solution for the EU dependency on rare-earths (REs) for permanent magnets (PMs), avoiding bottlenecks in the material supply-chain and diminishing the environmental impact. Considering the importance of PMs in present and emerging technologies, PASSENGER will develop up scaled alternatives based on widely available resources and innovative technologies. PASSENGER has a clear industrial orientation involving key end users and SMEs/LEs (13 industrial partners) from 8 EU countries. PASSENGER will develop a sustainable substitution pilot in PMs subdivided in 8 innovative pilot activities covering the complete value chain to finish at TRL7 and to guarantee implementation across the EU after the project is finished. The choice of PMs is based on realistic (envisioned up-scaling, low cost and environmental impact) projects results and patents (proven at TRL 4-5) achieved by the partners in successful EU projects: Improved Strontium ferrite (Sr-ferrite), Manganese-Aluminum-Carbon (MnAlC) and related technologies. These RE-free PM alternatives will substitute bonded NdDyFeB-magnets, which are constituted by diverse critical raw materials: REs (Nd and Dy, and Pr in some compositions); Metal (Cobalt). Electromobility has been chosen as a main key-driving sector with three application areas: Class 1: e-scooter; Class 2: e-bikes and e-motorbikes; Class 3: e-cars. The project will be done under premises of sustainability and reduced environmental impact, including Standardisation activities, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis, recyclability and social-life cycle assessment of PASSENGER’s products and technologies.

NeuroNanotech will train eleven researchers to tackle one of the major challenges in Europe’s ageing population - neurological diseases. The ability to monitor and modulate neural activity using interfaces has enabled a better understanding of brain function and has led to therapeutic solutions for some neurological disorders. Yet, fundamental technological challenges, such as ensuring proper brain tissue interfacing and reliable long-term recording/stimulation after implantation, impede widespread clinical use. New approaches to provide effective treatments are urgently needed. NeuroNanotech will develop novel nanostructured flexible neural interfaces with highly improved tissue integration, minimizing foreign-body reactions and tissue scarring and allowing stable stimulation treatments. As main innovation, we will develop minimally invasive, ultra-sensitive spintronic magnetic sensors able to record stably without interfering with stimulation signals and avoiding electrode degradation. Connecting both interfaces, we will construct a low-invasive, closed-loop neurostimulation system that integrates feedback signals from the neural activity and provides real-time stimulation of the target structures according to the patient´s needs. To achieve these goals, NeuroNanotech brings together experts in nanotechnology, device engineering, neuroscience and clinical neurology. The individual research projects are highly interconnected, ensuring interdisciplinary training. Researchers will benefit from training in advanced research and relevant complementary skills, imparted by an international and intersectoral consortium of research institutes, universities, companies, hospitals and social organisations from 9 different countries. We will provide researchers a unique environment focused on innovation and collaboration, with a view to commercial applications of the research results. This framework will open researchers avenues in both academia and health-related industry.

This proposal describes the third core project of the Graphene Flagship. It forms the fourth phase of the FET flagship and is characterized by a continued transition towards higher technology readiness levels, without jeopardizing our strong commitment to fundamental research. Compared to the second core project, this phase includes a substantial increase in the market-motivated technological spearhead projects, which account for about 30% of the overall budget. The broader fundamental and applied research themes are pursued by 15 work packages and supported by four work packages on innovation, industrialization, dissemination and management. The consortium that is involved in this project includes over 150 academic and industrial partners in over 20 European countries.

A novel concept for a photo-electro-catalytic (PEC) cell able to directly convert water and CO2 into fuels and chemicals (CO2 reduction) and oxygen (water oxidation) using exclusively solar energy will be designed, built, validated, and optimized. The cell will be constructed from cheap multifunction photo-electrodes able to transform sun irradiation into an electrochemical potential difference (expected efficiency > 12%); ultra-thin layers and nanoparticles of metal or metal oxide catalysts for both half-cell reactions (expected efficiency > 90%); and stateof- the-art membrane technology for gas/liquid/products separation to match a theoretical target solar to fuels efficiency above 10%. All parts will be assembled to maximize performance in pH > 7 solution and moderate temperatures (50-80 ºC) as to take advantage of the high stability and favorable kinetics of constituent materials in these conditions. Achieving this goal we will improve the state-of-the-art of all components for the sake of cell integration: 1) Surface sciences: metal and metal oxide catalysts (crystals or nanostructures grown on metals or silicon) will be characterized for water oxidation and CO2 reduction through atomically resolved experiments (scanning probe microscopy) and spatially-averaged surface techniques including surface analysis before, after and in operando electrochemical reactions. Activity and performance will be correlated to composition, thickness, structure and support as to determine the optimum parameters for device integration. 2) Photoelectrodes: This unique surface knowledge will be transferred to the processing of catalytic nanostructures deposited on semiconductors through different methods to match the surface chemistry results through viable up-scaling processes. Multiple thermodynamic and kinetic techniques will be used to characterize and optimize the performance of the interfaces with spectroscopy and photo-electrochemistry tools to identify best matching between light absorbers and chemical catalysts along optimum working conditions (pH, temperature, pressure). 3) Modeling: Materials, catalysts and processes will be modeled with computational methods as a pivotal tool to understand and to bring photo-catalytic-electrodes to their theoretical limits in terms of performance. The selected optimum materials and environmental conditions as defined from these parallel studies will be integrated into a PEC cell prototype. This design will include ion exchange membranes and gas diffusion electrodes for product separation. Performance will be validated in real working conditions under sun irradiation to assess the technological and industrial relevance of our A-LEAF cell.