MOFTherm

About the project

Batteries are central to the transition towards cleaner energy systems, but their performance, safety and lifetime strongly depend on temperature control. Excessive heating can reduce battery capacity, accelerate degradation and increase safety risks.

Current battery thermal management systems often rely on active cooling, which consumes additional energy. Passive systems based on phase-change materials offer an attractive alternative, but they are limited by low thermal conductivity and possible leakage during repeated melting and solidification cycles.

MOFTherm addresses these limitations by developing innovative PCM@MOF@C composites. The project combines phase-change materials with porous metal-organic frameworks and carbon-based conductive components. This approach is designed to stabilise the phase-change material, improve heat transfer and enable passive thermal regulation under battery-relevant conditions.

The project brings together expertise in MOF synthesis, phase-change materials, carbon-based materials, coating and shaping, battery thermal modelling, prototype validation, life-cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis and circularity.

Project Objectives

MOFTherm aims to develop sustainable and scalable materials for passive battery thermal management.

The main objectives are:

  1. Develop PCM@MOF@C composites
    Design and prepare composite materials combining phase-change materials, metal-organic frameworks and carbon-based conductive components.
  2. Improve thermal performance
    Enhance thermal conductivity and support passive heat regulation in the battery operating temperature range.
  3. Reduce PCM leakage
    Shape-stabilise phase-change materials inside porous frameworks and composite matrices to improve material reliability.
  4. Validate the concept experimentally
    Test the materials under relevant laboratory conditions and assess their compatibility with battery prototype requirements.
  5. Support sustainable material design
    Evaluate environmental and economic feasibility through life-cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis and circularity considerations.
  6. Progress towards TRL 4
    Demonstrate proof-of-concept validation of the developed material system under relevant laboratory conditions.

Approach

MOFTherm follows an integrated materials-development approach. The project starts with the selection and characterisation of suitable phase-change materials, MOFs and carbon-based components. These materials will be combined into composite formulations and shaped into battery-relevant formats such as coatings, films, granules or monolithic structures.

The developed materials will be evaluated through laboratory testing, modelling and prototype-oriented validation. In parallel, life-cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis and circularity studies will support material selection and process development from the early project stages.

Work packages

  • WP1 – Material synthesis, selection and shaping
    Development of PCM@MOF@C composites, including PCM selection, MOF preparation, carbon-material integration and shaping into relevant forms.
  • WP2 – Prototype integration and validation
    Modelling, battery thermal-management assessment, prototype design and experimental validation under relevant laboratory conditions.
  • WP3 – Techno-economic analysis, LCA and circularity
    Assessment of cost, environmental impact, process feasibility and circularity pathways.
  • WP4 – Management, dissemination and exploitation
    Project coordination, data management, communication, dissemination and exploitation activities.