The German Environment Agency (UBA) conducted a systematic literature review to identify advanced materials that are used in the energy transition. These advanced materials may pose potential risks to human health and the environment. To ensure that the energy transition itself does not create new health, environmental or social risks, it is necessary to carefully consider the safety and sustainability of these materials.

UBA reviews advanced materials in the energy transition

To mitigate the climate crisis and achieve a climate-neutral society by 2050, as outlined in the European Green Deal, a transition is needed in the way energy is generated, stored, saved, and consumed. The German Environment Agency (UBA) conducted a systematic literature review to identify the advanced materials used in the energy transition. Advanced materials are intended to improve the efficiency, yield and longevity of energy technologies. However, while these advancements bring many benefits, they may also pose new risks to human health and the environment. The agency’s literature search included all the material groups listed in the OECD’s working description of advanced materials.

Ten key materials driving the energy transition

The energy transition was divided into three main pillars: generating energy (such as using wind power), saving energy (such as improving a building’s insulation) and storing or transporting energy (for example, using batteries). The experts identified ten advanced materials that are crucial for the energy transition: perovskites, quantum dots, copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), aerogels, iridium oxide, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), hard carbon, MXenes, graphene and related 2D materials, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The choice of these ten materials was based on three main criteria: their commercialisation potential, their potential to harm people and the environment, and their ability to replace harmful substances or critical raw materials. The commercialisation potential of a material was based on its current demand as recorded in the REACH registration dossier, the scalability of its manufacturing process, and the expected increase in demand driven by the growing relevance of the advanced material in the energy transition. 

Human and environmental health concerns 

In energy generation, advanced materials like perovskites, quantum dots and CIGS are  used to make solar cells more efficient at producing energy. However, some of these materials can contain substances that are harmful to human health such as lead, cadmium, cesium or tellurium. These substances can also be dangerous to the environment depending on the amounts used or released.

In addition, some materials, such as specific CNTs, behave as small, rigid fibres that pose cancer risks similar to those of asbestos. For other materials, like MXenes, the toxicity profile is not well known. Moreover, the manufacturing of some advanced materials may involve harmful or critical raw materials or require considerable energy, which is not beneficial for the environment. 

Some advanced materials, such as perovskites and quantum dots, can break down easily and are therefore often encapsulated to protect their functionality from environmental factors like oxidation and degradation. While encapsulation reduces the risks for humans during use, it can create challenges when recycling these materials later.

Reflections by RIVM

This report gives a comprehensive overview of advanced materials that are used in the energy transition and might help with identifying knowledge gaps, research needs or follow-up actions to support safe and sustainable innovation of these materials. 

Europe is placing a strong emphasis on the rapid development of advanced materials to enable high-performance products for the energy transition. The Competitiveness Compass stresses that innovation and competitiveness must not compromise human health or the environment. However, the Action Plan on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership includes few concrete actions to ensure safety and sustainability through regulation. The European Commission assumes that the EU Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework will address these gaps, but the framework is still under development and voluntary. To support evidence-based regulation, the OECD WPMN has developed the Early4AdMa tool. This pre-regulatory and anticipatory risk governance approach helps identify potential safety, sustainability, and regulatory issues of advanced materials at early stages of their development or use. 

Balancing rapid innovation with responsible governance is challenging. RIVM recommends strengthening regulatory support and systematically applying SSbD principles, guided by tools like Early4AdMa, to ensure that Europe can unlock the potential of advanced materials safely and sustainably.