ReMade@ARI – materials development for recycling
To meet the challenge of designing new materials that are competitively functional and highly recyclable, the potential of more than 50 analytical research infrastructures of the European ARIE network will be harnessed through a new project, ReMade@ARI. Several LENS members will participating in the project, which launched on 1 September 2022 after receiving 13.8 million euros funding under the European Union’s (EU) Horizon Europe programme.
The EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan is based on the assumption that up to 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined during the design phase.
An illustrative example: In the supermarket, fruits and vegetables are often packaged in plastics to extend their shelf life. In the future, bio-based materials derived from wood could provide a sustainable alternative. This is where ReMade@ARI comes in, providing access to world-class European research infrastructure for the development of sophisticated new materials.
ReMade@ARI will be the central hub for the development of new materials for a circular economy. “We provide scientists who are working on the design of new recyclable materials with analytical tools that enable them to explore the properties and the structure of their material in smallest details up to atomic resolution. This requires the exploitation of the most diverse analytical methods, involving appropriate combinations of photons, electrons, neutrons, ions, positrons and the highest magnetic fields,” says Dr. Stefan Facsko, the project’s scientific coordinator. “Any scientist in academic or industrial research working on new recyclable materials should get in touch with us.”
A particular focus will be on scientists working in research fields in which, up to now, the potential of research infrastructures has not yet been exploited. “We will offer them an all-round service, closely collaborating with them to identify the relevant properties to be analysed in order to develop the optimum material for a particular purpose. Based on that, the most suitable research infrastructures to measure these properties will be identified from among the pool of Europe’s unique facilities”
40 partners of the ARIE network are involved in the project, which is being coordinated by Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).
Dr. Barbara Schramm, EU-Liaison Officer at HZDR, explains: “With a pool of highly motivated young researchers, the project will offer a user service of unprecedented quality which will enable each promising idea to be brought to success. We encourage in particular researchers from industry, for which we have put together an extensive package of support measures tailor-made to industry needs, to get in touch with us.”
Additional information
Dr. Stefan Facsko I Head
Ion Beam Center at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 2987 I Email: s.facsko@hzdr.de
Dr. Barbara Schramm I Head
Research Programs and International Projects at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 2684 I Email: b.schramm@hzdr.de
Media contact
Simon Schmitt | Head
Communications and Media Relations at HZDR
Phone: +49 351 260 3400 | Email: s.schmitt@hzdr.de
LENS members will be contributing to several work packages in ReMade@ARI. As well as providing expertise to help scientists select the right instruments for their research, ISIS, ILL, MLZ, PSI and BNC will be offering at least 150 days of neutron (and muon) beamtime for studies of materials relevant to the circular economy. Three postdocs (based at ISIS, ILL and PSI) will support neutron measurements and provide advice and guidance. LENS will also be supporting the development and implementation of the project’s communication plan.
