Attract Group „green²ICT“

Over the last two years we have already seen the challenge posed by long supply chains and dependencies in the raw materials market. This is especially true for materials in the energy and high-tech sectors, as the advancing digitalization of society will further increase demand here. At the same time, the materials required and their applications are becoming increasingly short-lived. The questions arising from this are our motivation: Which functional materials will be used in the future? How will these materials be processed into components? And where will we get the necessary raw materials without creating supply bottlenecks?

Our solution to raw material shortages and our consumption behavior is creating a supply of secondary raw materials. Secondary raw materials, also called recyclates, are those which are extracted from waste/scrap. In this way, not only can natural raw material sources be protected and raw materials be kept within Germany/EU, but also the waste products/electrical scrap produced can be fed into a subsequent recycling process.

In "green²ICT", we aim to effectively link recycling and modern, resource-efficient manufacturing methods. The production of functional materials can only be sustainable if it is carried out using recyclates with low waste production and as little energy demand as possible. For this purpose, additive manufacturing (in our case selective laser melting (SLM)) and the production of powders of functional materials required in this process from raw material to printed functional material will be looked at. At the beginning of the project, thermoelectrics are our focus.

At the same time, for planning purposes, an eye must also be kept on new, particularly disruptive classes of materials that could replace our current materials. The field of quantum materials is therefore also an important topic for us. Efficient use of secondary raw materials must be built up with an eye to the future so that we can provide the appropriate resources for the latest generation of materials.

Thermoelectric materials are a group of functional materials that can generate an electrical voltage in a temperature gradient or a temperature gradient based on an electrical voltage. Their possible applications range from local cooling to self-sufficient energy conversion through waste heat utilization.

Our group is working on further topics:

The production of catalysts for electrochemical water splitting (H₂ production) is currently being established as a new subject area. Here, the focus is on the development of catalysts with a low concentration of critical elements (e.g. platinum group metals) and the recycling of electrode material.

• Measurement of Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity, as well as thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity up to 1200 °C
• Magnetic and electronic measurements at low temperatures down to 2 K (PPMS-VSM)
• Material production in kg scale (inductive melting)
• Production of powders (ball mill, gas atomizer)
• Additive manufacturing of samples (metals, semimetals, semiconductors) using a SLM process
• Spark plasma sintering for the compaction of powders
• Electrochemical characterization of catalysts for electrochemical water splitting (soon; laboratory under construction)