The main goal of the LORCENIS project is to develop long reinforced concrete for energy infrastructures with lifetime extended up to a 100% under extreme operating conditions. The concept is based on an optimal combination of novel technologies involving customized methodologies for cost-efficient operation. 4 scenarios of severe operating conditions are considered: 1. Concrete infrastructure in deep sea, arctic and subarctic zones: Offshore windmills, gravity based structures, bridge piles and harbours 2. Concrete and mortar under mechanical fatigue in offshore windmills and sea structures 3. Concrete structures in concentrated solar power plants exposed to high temperature thermal fatigue 4. Concrete cooling towers subjected to acid attack The goal will be realized through the development of multifunctional strategies integrated in concrete formulations and advanced stable bulk concretes from optimized binder technologies. A multi-scale show case will be realized towards service-life prediction of reinforced concretes in extreme environments to link several model approaches and launch innovation for new software tools. The durability of sustainable advanced reinforced concrete structures developed will be proven and validated within LORCENIS under severe operating conditions based on the TRL scale, starting from a proof of concept (TRL 3) to technology validation (TRL 5). LORCENIS is a well-balanced consortium of multidisciplinary experts from 9 universities and research institutes and 7 industries whose 2 are SMEs from 8 countries who will contribute to training by exchange of personnel and joint actions with other European projects and increase the competitiveness and sustainability of European industry by bringing innovative materials and new methods closer to the marked and permitting the establishment of energy infrastructures in areas with harsh climate and environmental conditions at acceptable costs.

The main objective of the proposal is the development of multi-purpose, multi-functional surfaces via environmentally friendly plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) treatments. In an intelligent way the weakness of the PEO process (the inherent porosity due to the discharges forming the coating is often responsible for poor properties) is used to functionalize the coating using the open pore structure as a reservoir for nanocontainer or to bring particles with certain functionalities deep into the coatings (fast pathways). The main targeted functionalities, are enhanced fault tolerance and active protection against corrosive damage as well as improved tribological behavior. Moreover, to extend this typical field of applications of PEO treatments and address additional industries and aspects (e.g. 3C, ecological), a set of less common functionalities, such as photocatalytic, magnetic, thermo- and electroconductivity will be added. This is challenging and goes far beyond the state-of-the-art introduction via post-treatments. To deal with such sensitive materials, changes in the power supply are required and this is addressed as one of the key points in frame of the project as well. The essential key of the project is the formation and development of an interdisciplinary R&D partnership, where participants from both academia (5) and private sector (4 SME) participate, promoting and sharing their ideas, expertise, techniques and methods to solve this demanding challenge. This partnership will be beneficial for all participants, since new PEO hardware, environmentally friendly processes and applications important for industry are developed, evaluated and promoted by the research institutions via presentations and publications of the obtained results. Laboratory based training and intersectional transfer of knowledge are the key aspects of the FUNCOAT project, so the partnership gathers the topmost competences to carry out the suggested research program.

The need to develop and use products made out of residues or sub-products from industry is creating pressure over fields where more traditional, linear economy concepts prevail. In this project we address one important stage of the life cycle of products, particularly trying to extend its service life, thereby contributing for advances towards circular economy via increase in durability of materials and use of greener materials. In particular, this proposal addresses the problem of protection and monitoring of corrosion of metallic substrates used in different applications. Structured in previous experience with a recently finished MSCA-RISE project SMARCOAT (ref. 645662, 2015-2018), this project aims at developing eco-friendly multifunctional coatings with capacity to protect and detect corrosion based on different mechanisms combining nanostructured inhibiting and sensing additives. Two types of coating systems are intended to be developed, one for temporary protection during storage and transportation based on biodegradable materials and another on thermosetting polymers obtained using raw materials from sustainable sources. A relevant part of this project includes the study of fate and ecotoxicity of different coating components and Life cycle analysis, which will be equaled as a figure of merit with performance factors to select the most promising systems and launch demonstrators for standard and field tests.

The proposal aims to develop an innovative approach to impart sensing functionality and detect substrate degradation. The degradation processes targeted will be corrosion of metallic substrates and mechanical damage by impact on fibre reinforced plastics and composites (FRP), used as structural components in the vehicle industry worldwide. The innovative sensing materials are based on controlled release of active species, encapsulated in polymeric and inorganic capsules with sizes ranging from several micrometres down to the nanometre range. These will be designed and prepared in a way that responds to specific triggers associated with the nature of the degradation process. The functional materials will be subsequently incorporated as additives in organic and hybrid organic-inorganic coating matrices, or directly impregnated in the substrate (FRP). The goal is to get coatings capable of sensing substrate degradation at early stages, making maintenance operations cost-effective without jeopardizing safety. The range of selected materials encloses systems conceptually designed to be prepared and tested for the first time at lab scale (high breakthrough at research level) and others already studied at lab scale with promising results and which can already be tested at pilot scale (high innovation level). Furthermore, the characterization encompasses lab-scale, cutting-edge technologies and modelling, as well as upscaling and industrial validation. The consortium upon which the present proposal is set has strong knowledge and previous experience in the topics above presented, reflected upon previous participation in large FP7 EU-projects as well as on Marie Curie actions (IRSES). Therefore, part of the interdisciplinary exchanging network necessary to successfully achieve the objectives and allow a flow and sharing environment of people, knowledge and methods has already been tested in previous projects with positive results.