Integrating Materials Discovery, Energy Performance, and Lifecycle Evidence

Authors

  • Nathan Powell Author

Keywords:

materials informatics, lifecycle assessment, energy systems, sustainability, AI

Abstract

This review examines integration of materials discovery, energy performance, and lifecycle evidence. The organizing question is how candidate-level predictions can be connected to manufacturing, use-phase performance, circularity, and environmental burden. Ten related scholarly sources are synthesized through a decision-centered framework spanning problem definition, mechanism, measurement, evaluation, implementation, and governance. The review does not invent experiments, pooled estimates, or unreported quantitative results. It instead evaluates the strength and transferability of the available evidence, with particular attention to optimizing a material property while exporting impacts to another lifecycle stage. The resulting framework links technical or empirical performance to explicit use conditions and identifies tests that should precede wider adoption in sustainable energy and materials innovation.

References

  1. Asdrubali, F., D'Alessandro, F., & Schiavoni, S. (2015). A review of unconventional sustainable building insulation materials. Sustainable materials and technologies, 4, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2015.05.002
  2. Asgher, M., Qamar, S. A., Bilal, M., & Iqbal, H. M. N. (2020). Bio-based active food packaging materials: Sustainable alternative to conventional petrochemical-based packaging materials. Food Research International, 137, 109625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109625
  3. Guo, Y., Bae, J., Fang, Z., Li, P., Zhao, F., & Yu, G. (2020). Hydrogels and Hydrogel-Derived Materials for Energy and Water Sustainability. Chemical Reviews, 120(15), 7642-7707. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00345
  4. Kai, D., Tan, M. J., Chee, P. L., Chua, Y. K., Yap, Y. L., & Loh, X. J. (2016). Towards lignin-based functional materials in a sustainable world. Green Chemistry, 18(5), 1175-1200. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5gc02616d
  5. Le, N. L., & Nunes, S. P. (2016). Materials and membrane technologies for water and energy sustainability. Sustainable materials and technologies, 7, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2016.02.001
  6. Liu, W. J., Jiang, H., & Yu, H. Q. (2015). Development of Biochar-Based Functional Materials: Toward a Sustainable Platform Carbon Material. Chemical Reviews, 115(22), 12251-12285. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00195
  7. Nasrollahzadeh, M., Sajjadi, M., Iravani, S., & Varma, R. S. (2020). Starch, cellulose, pectin, gum, alginate, chitin and chitosan derived (nano)materials for sustainable water treatment: A review. Carbohydrate Polymers, 251, 116986. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.116986
  8. Ramesh, M., Palanikumar, K., & Reddy, K. H. (2017). Plant fibre based bio-composites: Sustainable and renewable green materials. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 79, 558-584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.05.094
  9. Silveyra, J. M., Ferrara, E., Huber, D. L., & Monson, T. C. (2018). Soft magnetic materials for a sustainable and electrified world. Science, 362(6413). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao0195
  10. Yahya, M. A., Al-Qodah, Z., & Ngah, C. W. Z. (2015). Agricultural bio-waste materials as potential sustainable precursors used for activated carbon production: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 46, 218-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.02.051

Downloads

Published

2026-08-08

Issue

Vol. 1 (2026): Archive

Section

Review

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Frontiers in Integrative Science

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.