Under the Weave-UNISONO programme, researchers from the University of Silesia in Katowice alongside their research partners from the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) will study the properties of water trapped inside nanometer-wide pores under to explore the possibilities of using water for storage and recovery of currently wasted low-grade heat.
Under the SuperLow project, the Polish research team headed by Dr hab. Yaroslav Grosu from the University of Silesia in Katowice together with the German research team led by Prof. Dr Patrick Huber will explore the properties of water trapped inside small, about one nanometer wide, pores within hydrophobic materials, when it can enter a supercritical-like state at dramatically lower temperatures close to 100°C, whereas outside such nanometer-wide pores, significantly higher temperatures and pressure are needed. The researchers will investigate if water trapped inside such nanoporous materials can retain properties relevant to thermal energy storage. They will combine advanced high-pressure calorimetric measurements, neutron and X-ray techniques, and atomistic computer simulations. Their research will lay the scientific groundwork for the development of technologies that will enable the storage and reuse of low-temperature waste heat at temperatures close to 100°C. The research findings may be used in green chemistry, catalysis, and environmental technologies, such as the treatment of persistent pollutants. The Polish project budget is over PLN 1.7 million. The project was evaluated by DFG and the evaluation results were approved by NCN under the Weave programme.
Weave-UNISONO and Lead Agency Procedure
Weave-UNISONO is a result of multilateral cooperation between the research-funding agencies associated in Science Europe and aims at simplifying the submission and selection procedures in all academic disciplines, involving researchers from two or three European countries.
The winning applicants are selected pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure according to which one partner institution performs a complete merit-based evaluation of proposals, the results of which are subsequently approved by the other partners.
Under the Weave programme, partner research teams apply for parallel funding to the Lead Agency and their respective institutions participating in the programme. Joint research projects must include a coherent research program with the added value of the international cooperation clearly identified.
Weave-UNISONO is carried out on an ongoing basis. Research teams intending to cooperate with partners from Austria, Czechia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium-Flanders are urged to read the call text and apply for funding.