Integrating Materials Discovery, Energy Performance, and Lifecycle Evidence

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.

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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 DOI
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 DOI
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 DOI
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 DOI
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 DOI
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 DOI
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 DOI
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 DOI
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 DOI