Towards a revolution in electrochemical energy storage in France.

In the face of global warming, one of the main causes of which is the emission of greenhouse gases, it has been decided to electrify the motor vehicle fleet by 2035, and therefore to replace our thermal vehicles with electric ones. Where the thermal revolution has been gradually taking hold in our daily lives for over 100 years, we have been asked to go faster to have most of the vehicles to be electrical within 10 years.
In this respect, the actual and next generation of secondary batteries are at the heart of the world's concerns to enable this paradigm shift. France can draw on the support of the French network on electrochemical energy storage (RS2E), which was set up in 2011 and brings together 17 academic laboratories (including IEMN), 16 manufacturers and 3 technology transfer and integration centers. This network was supported by the STOREX labex and has helped to structure research in France in the field of batteries and supercapacitors for over 10 years. Following the global pandemic linked to COVID-19 and France's need to reindustrialize, the French government decided to strengthen its energy storage activities to accelerate the electrification of its vehicle fleet, by developing a national acceleration strategy in the field of batteries.
Major academic players in the field (CEA/CNRS) have been granted €45.6 million in funding as part of a "batteries" Priority Research Program and Equipment (PEPR), to work on a low TRL (Technology Readiness Level) fundamental research program that will study future generations of all-solid-state batteries and fast-charging power batteries. These new generations of batteries will incorporate multiple interfaces that will need to be controlled in order to tune surface reactivity, using, for example, nanometer-thick protective films made by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). Proof of the region's attractiveness in this context of reindustrialization, the Haut-de-France region is becoming the new "silicon valley" for batteries, with the establishment of 4 new gigafactories (battery manufacturing plants) and a battery separator factory.
→ Numerous scientific and technological challenges lie ahead to strengthen France's position in this field, and in particular to work on new generations of all-solid-state batteries that can be recharged rapidly. This revolution will only be possible by pooling France's many skills in chemistry, materials, engineering and micro/nanotechnology, including those of IEMN laboratory.
It will also need to be accompanied by the implementation of a network of efficient recharging stations that will enable users to criss-cross France's roads without emitting greenhouse gases, while recharging their vehicles rapidly (80% charge in 5 minutes). In addition to research, we will also need to work with players in the field of energy training (such as Polytech Lille), as this paradigm shift will only be possible with well-trained students in the field. It's a major undertaking, but the stakes are immense.

Our last editorial dealt with semiconductor nanocrystals and their current and future applications. This field has just been particularly highlighted by the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov.

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Publishing Director: Thierry Mélin
Graphic design: Publishing Communication Multimedia Department
Technical realization: Network Information and Administration Service

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