The IFI-IFE bilateral initiative: Bridging the knowledge gap on nanostructured magnetocaloric materials was awarded by the Bilateral Relations EEA Grants. This initiative has a 13 750 Eur budget and will be financed up to 90% by EEA Grants.
The IFI-IFE is supervised by João H. Belo (PI), from IFIMUP/FCUP , and by Cristoph Fromen from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) (Kjeller, Noruega).
The main goals of this initiative are:
- to deepen the knowledge of micro and nanostructuring of magnetocaloric materials;
- to develop a strong cooperation between these two research groups via the interexchange of students/researchers, further research funding applications, and the dissemination of innovative refrigeration technologies within the current Europe Green New Deal framework.
In order to attain the first objective calorimetric, diffraction and magnetometry measurements will be performed at both institutes on macro, micro and nanostructured magnetocaloric materials.
Based on the results obtained throughout the initiative, a small self-pumped magnetic refrigerator will be built from the development of magnetocaloric ferrofluids.
This initiative will last for 18 months and two travels are expected: of two IFIMUP researchers to IFE, and of two IFE researchers to IFIMUP.