Funder: EU H2020-MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

Reference: 747599

Duration: 01/01/2018 - 31/12/2019

Funds: 170 121,60 EUR

Beneficiary: Universidad de Valencia

Supervisor: Henk J. Bolink

Researcher: Francisco Palazon

Title: Molecular glues for perovskite materials

Description: This project aims at optimizing the interface between halide perovskites and different semiconductors through the use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Such interface engineering will be applied to perovskite solar cells where SAMs will play the role of “molecular glues” between the active perovskite layer and charge transport layers (n- and p-type metal oxides as well as organic semiconductors). Through the grafting and self-assembly of short bifunctional molecules, PerovSAMs will ensure a smooth and close contact at the interfaces, favouring charge transfer in the cell, thus minimizing losses and enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE). Furthermore, this versatile methodology will also be applied to perovskite nanocrystals (NCs). Surface functionalization of the NCs with SAMs will allow the formation of a perovskite shell with a different chemical composition creating core-shell quantum dots with superior photovoltaic properties, boosting the incipient field of perovskite NC-based solar cells.

Funder: European Research Council (ERC); Consolidator Grant

Reference: 614897

Duration: 01/03/2014 - 28/02/2019

Funds: 2 430 720 EUR

Beneficiary: Fondazione Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Principal Investigator: Liberato Manna

Title: Advancing the Study of Chemical, Structural and Surface Transformations in Colloidal Nanocrystals

Description: Colloidal inorganic nanocrystals (NCs) are among the most investigated nanomaterials in Nanoscience due to their high versatility. Research on NCs went through much advancement lately, especially on synthesis, assembly and on the study of their transformations, most notably via cation exchange (all fields in which the PI has contributed already). However, the integration of NCs with fabrication tools that employ conditions such as irradiation, etching and annealing is at a very early stage since we do not have a systematic knowledge of what transformations are triggered in the NCs under those conditions. Also, an issue related to the incorporation of NCs in materials/devices is whether, over time, the NCs will remain as they are, or they will transform into other structures. Plus, these transformations in NCs are poorly studied as they require fast recording techniques. This proposal will embark on an ambitious investigation of post-synthetic transformations in solution-grown NCs: by advancing the understanding of various aspects of chemical, structural and surface transformation of NCs, we will uncover new fabrication techniques that will employ such nanostructures as the key ingredients. This in turn will have a strong impact in opto-electronics, as several electronic components entirely made of NCs will be delivered. Four objectives are targeted: i) developing radically new sets of experimental tools for the investigation of chemical transformations in NCs, above all the ability to monitor in real time these transformations; ii) developing solution-grown nanostructures able to undergo programmed transformations under a defined stimulus; iii) understanding the role of irradiation on the fate of surface ligands and on cation exchange reactions in NCs; iv) combining chemical, structural and surface transformations towards NC-based opto-electronics. The success of the proposal hinges on the proven capabilities of the PI, with ample support from the host Institution.

Funder: Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR-P2N-2012

Reference: ANR-12-NANO-0016

Duration: 01/2013 - 01/2015

Funds: 1 406 306 euros

Coordinator: Michael Canva

Title: Bimodal instrumentation for Biomolecular Detection and Identification by Nano-Enhanced Plasmonic Imaging and Raman Analysis

Description: This project addresses the issue of investigating, both theoretically and experimentally, and taking advantage of the unique optical properties of gold nanostructures for the design of new photonics and more precisely plasmonics devices. Indeed, such nanostructures, after proper biofunctionalization into biochips, will be inserted into an optical instrument for the purpose of enhanced sensor systems. In order to increase the performances of such a platform and make a breakthrough in this technology, the project proposes to demonstrate that it is possible to take advantage simultaneously, in a bimodal optical instrument, of both the sensitivity enhancement than can be obtained for surface plasmonic resonance imaging (SPRI) as well as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) systems. In such an instrument, the biochip would be analysed both: -by SPRI whose parallel imaging capability will provide label-free detection and quantification of bio-target binding in real-time and with high throughput, -by SERS which will be used to analyse only those areas of interest as directed by the SPRI data and whose spectral signatures will provide unambiguous identification of the captured bio-targets.