Energy sustainability and interconnectivity are the two main pillars on which state-of-the-art architecture is based. They call for the realization of energy and smart devices that can be fully integrated into buildings, capable on the one hand of meeting stringent regulatory requirements, and on the other hand of operating under real-world conditions.

Lithium-ion batteries are accompanying the progressive development of society, with relevant applications in everyday life, including consumer electronics, grid levelling, and automotive. Despite their favourable characteristics that enabled their establishment in the market, such as high energy density, superior cycling stability, and lightweight, the rapidly growing automotive sector calls for still higher specific energy and power, increased safety, and lower cost. 

A class of chalcogenide alloys named phase change materials is exploited in non-volatile memories and in neuromorphic devices. These applications rely on a fast reversible transformation between the crystalline and amorphous phases upon Joule heating. The two phases correspond to the two logical states of the memory that are discriminated thanks to their large contrast in electrical conductivity.

Anti-icing coatings have been in existence for some time, yet they often suffer from degradation and rapid detachment from the surfaces they are meant to safeguard.

The conversion of CO₂ into solar fuels (e-fuels) or other useful chemicals is at the heart of the energy transition. One of the most important processes in this sense is the production of methanol, CH₃OH. For more than half a century, methanol has been produced in the world thanks to a heterogeneous catalyst, Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃, where Cu nanoparticles are dispersed on an alumina support with ZnO particles as promoters.