From electric vehicles to the power running our homes, a cleaner energy future relies on technologies like batteries, fuel cells that produce low-emission electricity, solar panels and the critical mineral extraction that makes these technologies possible.
But today, many of these solutions are still too costly, inefficient or short lived to scale widely, says a University of Calgary professor.
UCalgary's recently formed Centre for Far-From-Equilibrium Nanostructured Cleantech Materials (CeFar), which is tackling these issues, has been boosted by $4.25 million in new support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Innovation Fund.
CeFar unites 10 existing labs in the Schulich School of Engineering and Faculty of Science.
"We are extremely grateful for the CFI Innovation Fund," says Dr. Milana Trifkovic, PhD, associate dean of research innovation and strategic partnerships with Schulich, who co-leads the centre with fellow professor Dr. Kunal Karan, MSc'94, PhD'99.
This investment will enable CeFar to expand its advanced research capabilities, including the addition of state-of-the-art tools that allow scientists to observe and manipulate materials at unprecedented levels of precision. By strengthening both infrastructure and collaboration across disciplines, the centre is positioned to accelerate discoveries that could make clean energy technologies more efficient, durable and affordable.
Without these additions, Trifkovic says, " far-from-equilibrium' materials are extremely difficult to study. They evolve dynamically in real time and at the nano scale."
In addition, she says, "If you want to go towards net zero, it boils down to understanding how do we actually make these technologies more accessible in terms of cost, how do we prolong their durability and how do we enhance their efficiencies? Because that's the major bottleneck to their widespread adoption today."
Most materials are designed to reach a stable, resting state. But, when driven by external forces, such as electric fields, temperature gradients or rapid mixing, they can reorganize into structures with superior properties. This is called far-from-equilibrium.' CeFar researchers are unlocking this behaviour to develop a new generation of materials for batteries, fuel cells, electrolyzers, photovoltaics and critical mineral extraction.
Studies optimize technologies that will better support everyday lives
CeFar hopes to bridge the gap between optimized science and the market. To do this, the team includes 10 lead researchers and their teams from engineering and chemistry, whose work spans the entire materials innovation chain.
One group of experts works with extremely small particles to form better, more useful material structures, another group uses advanced imaging tools to see how those materials behave when tested, then, a commercialization group studies how to turn them into real devices that can help power clean technologies like renewable energy, batteries, and electric vehicles.
Trifkovic, who also co-founded Envicore, a company aiming to create sustainable solutions for the mining and construction sectors, ensures the centre's discoveries "are implemented in real-world applications, as well as enter the commercialization pathway."
Training future cleantech leaders
CeFar is part of UCalgary's efforts to strengthen Canada's economic security by developing a high-tech workforce. The centre, established earlier this year, targets the training of more than 150 students and postdocs annually, shaping the future of experts driving innovation by launching their own companies or leading within the clean tech industry.
"That's how you actually build a sector, and that's what CeFar is here to do," Trifkovic says.
