High performance metal alloys for renewable energy

Renewable energy encompasses a wide range of technologies, each requiring specialized materials. Understanding these materials and their applications is crucial to determine the necessary properties and how to characterize them to prove their utility. This work is twofold: it begins with an introduction to the renewable energy sectors, general requirements, and the materials to be discussed later. The main part outlines the contribution of selected materials, namely copper alloys (CuBe2, Cu15Ni8Sn), beryllium, niobium, tantalum and clad metals, in enabling these technologies. Applications from different energy sectors are considered, with examples ranging from small devices such as bearings, switches, and sensors to key components like bipolar plates in fuel cells. The relevant materials and their properties, which ensure functionality, reliability, and longevity, are presented to demonstrate that high performance materials are indispensable for the green energy revolution. The performance of the material is thanks to its chemical composition and, in many cases, to tailored nanostructures, such as ultrafine precipitates in case of CuBe2 or chemical segregations at the atomic level in case of Cu15Ni8Sn.