Project acronym 2D4D
Project Disruptive Digitalization for Decarbonization
Researcher (PI) Elena Verdolini
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI BRESCIA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary By 2040, all major sectors of the European economy will be deeply digitalized. By then, the EU aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% with respect to 1990 levels. Digitalization will affect decarbonization efforts because of its impacts on energy demand, employment, competitiveness, trade patterns and its distributional, behavioural and ethical implications. Yet, the policy debates around these two transformations are largely disjoint.
The aim of the 2D4D project is ensure that the digital revolution acts as an enabler – and not as a barrier – for decarbonization. The project quantifies the decarbonization implications of three disruptive digitalization technologies in hard-to-decarbonize sectors: (1) Additive Manufacturing in industry, (2) Mobility-as-a-Service in transportation, and (3) Artificial Intelligence in buildings.
The first objective of 2D4D is to generate a one-of-a-kind data collection to investigate the technical and socio-economic dynamics of these technologies, and how they may affect decarbonization narratives and scenarios. This will be achieved through several data collection methods, including desk research, surveys and expert elicitations.
The second objective of 2D4D is to include digitalization dynamics in decarbonization narratives and pathways. On the one hand, this entails enhancing decarbonization narratives (specifically, the Shared Socio-economic Pathways) to describe digitalization dynamics. On the other hand, it requires improving the representation of sector-specific digitalization dynamics in Integrated Assessment Models, one of the main tools available to generate decarbonization pathways.
The third objective of 2D4D is to identify no-regret, robust policy portfolios. These will be designed to ensure that digitalization unfolds in an inclusive, climate-beneficial way, and that decarbonization policies capitalize on digital technologies to support the energy transition.
Summary
By 2040, all major sectors of the European economy will be deeply digitalized. By then, the EU aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% with respect to 1990 levels. Digitalization will affect decarbonization efforts because of its impacts on energy demand, employment, competitiveness, trade patterns and its distributional, behavioural and ethical implications. Yet, the policy debates around these two transformations are largely disjoint.
The aim of the 2D4D project is ensure that the digital revolution acts as an enabler – and not as a barrier – for decarbonization. The project quantifies the decarbonization implications of three disruptive digitalization technologies in hard-to-decarbonize sectors: (1) Additive Manufacturing in industry, (2) Mobility-as-a-Service in transportation, and (3) Artificial Intelligence in buildings.
The first objective of 2D4D is to generate a one-of-a-kind data collection to investigate the technical and socio-economic dynamics of these technologies, and how they may affect decarbonization narratives and scenarios. This will be achieved through several data collection methods, including desk research, surveys and expert elicitations.
The second objective of 2D4D is to include digitalization dynamics in decarbonization narratives and pathways. On the one hand, this entails enhancing decarbonization narratives (specifically, the Shared Socio-economic Pathways) to describe digitalization dynamics. On the other hand, it requires improving the representation of sector-specific digitalization dynamics in Integrated Assessment Models, one of the main tools available to generate decarbonization pathways.
The third objective of 2D4D is to identify no-regret, robust policy portfolios. These will be designed to ensure that digitalization unfolds in an inclusive, climate-beneficial way, and that decarbonization policies capitalize on digital technologies to support the energy transition.
Max ERC Funding
1 498 375 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-10-01, End date: 2025-09-30
Project acronym AuDACE
Project Attosecond Dynamics in Advanced Materials
Researcher (PI) Matteo LUCCHINI
Host Institution (HI) POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Speed and performances of contemporary digital electronics are limited by the available device architectures and heat dissipation. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are emerging as one of the main candidates for designing new structures capable to overcome the current device limitations and foster the establishment of the electronics of the future. Due to the electron confinement in two directions, they are characterised by exotic physical, electronic and chemical properties, which are neither fully investigated nor understood. In particular, the lack of suitable tools hinders the possibility to study the ultrafast processes unfolding during light-matter interaction. Nevertheless, a clear understanding is required in order to leverage the unique properties of 2D materials. AuDACE aims to enter this unexplored region and investigate ultrafast electron, exciton and spin dynamics happening in advanced materials on time scales below few femtoseconds with unprecedented and ground-breaking possible outcome.
To reach this ambitious goal AuDACE will go beyond the state of the art and develop an innovative pump-probe beamline for transient absorption and reflectivity measurements based on arbitrarily polarised attosecond pulses in a two-foci geometry. Once the experimental techniques are established, my team and I will concentrate on ultrafast exciton dynamics in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (ML-TMDCs). In the final phase, AuDACE will focus on a new class of materials such as ferromagnetic ML-TMDCs to investigate the elusive physical mechanism responsible for ultrafast spin and magnetic dynamics. For the first time, a comprehensive investigation of these phenomena will become feasible on these little studied time scales. Due to the wide spectrum of relevant applications for 2D materials, I expect the outcome of AuDACE to have a crucial impact on the development of many key technological areas like optoelectronics, spintronics, valleytronics and photovoltaics.
Summary
Speed and performances of contemporary digital electronics are limited by the available device architectures and heat dissipation. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are emerging as one of the main candidates for designing new structures capable to overcome the current device limitations and foster the establishment of the electronics of the future. Due to the electron confinement in two directions, they are characterised by exotic physical, electronic and chemical properties, which are neither fully investigated nor understood. In particular, the lack of suitable tools hinders the possibility to study the ultrafast processes unfolding during light-matter interaction. Nevertheless, a clear understanding is required in order to leverage the unique properties of 2D materials. AuDACE aims to enter this unexplored region and investigate ultrafast electron, exciton and spin dynamics happening in advanced materials on time scales below few femtoseconds with unprecedented and ground-breaking possible outcome.
To reach this ambitious goal AuDACE will go beyond the state of the art and develop an innovative pump-probe beamline for transient absorption and reflectivity measurements based on arbitrarily polarised attosecond pulses in a two-foci geometry. Once the experimental techniques are established, my team and I will concentrate on ultrafast exciton dynamics in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (ML-TMDCs). In the final phase, AuDACE will focus on a new class of materials such as ferromagnetic ML-TMDCs to investigate the elusive physical mechanism responsible for ultrafast spin and magnetic dynamics. For the first time, a comprehensive investigation of these phenomena will become feasible on these little studied time scales. Due to the wide spectrum of relevant applications for 2D materials, I expect the outcome of AuDACE to have a crucial impact on the development of many key technological areas like optoelectronics, spintronics, valleytronics and photovoltaics.
Max ERC Funding
1 466 250 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-02-01, End date: 2025-01-31
Project acronym AXONENDO
Project Endosomal control of local protein synthesis in axons
Researcher (PI) Jean-Michel Cioni
Host Institution (HI) OSPEDALE SAN RAFFAELE SRL
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Neurons are morphologically complex cells that rely on highly compartmentalized signaling to coordinate cellular functions. The endocytic pathway is a crucial trafficking route by which neurons integrate, spatially process and transfer information. Endosomal trafficking in axons and dendrites ensures that required molecules and signaling complexes are present where and when they are functionally needed thus fulfilling essential roles in neuronal physiology. Our recent work has revealed the presence of mRNAs and ribosomes on endosomes in axons, raising the exciting possibility that these motile organelles also directly modulate the local proteome by controlling de novo protein synthesis. However, the mechanisms by which endosomes regulate mRNA translation in neurons is unknown. Moreover, the roles of endosome-mediated control of protein synthesis in neuronal development and function have not been investigated. Here, we propose to bridge this knowledge gap by elucidating links between the endocytic pathway and local protein synthesis in neurons, focusing on their functional relationship in axons. By combining genome-wide analysis, genetic tools, state-of-the-art imaging techniques and the use of Xenopus and mouse vertebrate models, we plan to address the following fundamental questions: (i) What are the mRNAs associated with endosomes and does endosomal trafficking regulate their axonal localization? (ii) Does the endocytic pathway mediate the selective translation of axonal mRNAs in response to extracellular factors? (iii) What are the endosome-associated RNA-binding proteins, and what is the effect of perturbing these associations on axonal development and maintenance in vivo? (iv) Does impaired endosomal regulation of axonal mRNA localization and translation cause axonopathies? Answering these questions will set strong foundations for this new area of research and can provide a new angle in our comprehension of neuropathies in need of novel therapeutic strategies.
Summary
Neurons are morphologically complex cells that rely on highly compartmentalized signaling to coordinate cellular functions. The endocytic pathway is a crucial trafficking route by which neurons integrate, spatially process and transfer information. Endosomal trafficking in axons and dendrites ensures that required molecules and signaling complexes are present where and when they are functionally needed thus fulfilling essential roles in neuronal physiology. Our recent work has revealed the presence of mRNAs and ribosomes on endosomes in axons, raising the exciting possibility that these motile organelles also directly modulate the local proteome by controlling de novo protein synthesis. However, the mechanisms by which endosomes regulate mRNA translation in neurons is unknown. Moreover, the roles of endosome-mediated control of protein synthesis in neuronal development and function have not been investigated. Here, we propose to bridge this knowledge gap by elucidating links between the endocytic pathway and local protein synthesis in neurons, focusing on their functional relationship in axons. By combining genome-wide analysis, genetic tools, state-of-the-art imaging techniques and the use of Xenopus and mouse vertebrate models, we plan to address the following fundamental questions: (i) What are the mRNAs associated with endosomes and does endosomal trafficking regulate their axonal localization? (ii) Does the endocytic pathway mediate the selective translation of axonal mRNAs in response to extracellular factors? (iii) What are the endosome-associated RNA-binding proteins, and what is the effect of perturbing these associations on axonal development and maintenance in vivo? (iv) Does impaired endosomal regulation of axonal mRNA localization and translation cause axonopathies? Answering these questions will set strong foundations for this new area of research and can provide a new angle in our comprehension of neuropathies in need of novel therapeutic strategies.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 563 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-09-01, End date: 2025-08-31
Project acronym Ergo-Lean
Project Rethinking Human Ergonomics in Lean Manufacturing and Service Industry: Towards Adaptive Robots with Anticipatory Behaviors
Researcher (PI) Arash Ajoudani
Host Institution (HI) FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE7, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Occupational ergonomics is facing a new complex challenge caused by the adaptation of industrial processes to the demands of the high-mix, low-volume production. In such processes, humans operate in, and interact with dynamically changing environments. The underlying physical interactions can cause variations of human states, and make a traditionally identified ergonomic pose of a human non-efficient and unproductive, or vice versa. This challenge has contributed to the growth of musculoskeletal disorders in manufacturing and service industries undergoing a lean transformation, and calls for new thinking on occupational ergonomics.
Ergo-Lean proposes to study, for the first time, human ergonomics during complex human-robot-environment interactions, and investigate methods to anticipate the effect of worker actions in the short, middle and long term. It explores the potential of collaborative robotics technology to deliver an original set of anticipatory behaviors that contribute to the improvement of human physical factors during interaction. Ergo-Lean will create radically new Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) systems where the robot and human directly interact, forming a dyad which optimally solves manufacturing problems in the environment, with the robot flexibly contributing to ergonomic improvement of workplace conditions. To achieve this, the research will be articulated along five multidisciplinary scientific objectives to: i) Understand and formulate human ergonomics during dynamic interactions; ii) Investigate ways of applying the HRC technology to the mitigation of occupational risks; iii) Evaluate the influence of feedback interfaces for ergonomic coordination of motor redundancy; iv) Study shared authority models for ergonomic HRC systems; and v) Challenge and demonstrate the improved adaptability and acceptability of Ergo-Lean systems. Ergo-Lean will have profound socio-economic impacts by improving workers’ wellbeing and contributing to productivity.
Summary
Occupational ergonomics is facing a new complex challenge caused by the adaptation of industrial processes to the demands of the high-mix, low-volume production. In such processes, humans operate in, and interact with dynamically changing environments. The underlying physical interactions can cause variations of human states, and make a traditionally identified ergonomic pose of a human non-efficient and unproductive, or vice versa. This challenge has contributed to the growth of musculoskeletal disorders in manufacturing and service industries undergoing a lean transformation, and calls for new thinking on occupational ergonomics.
Ergo-Lean proposes to study, for the first time, human ergonomics during complex human-robot-environment interactions, and investigate methods to anticipate the effect of worker actions in the short, middle and long term. It explores the potential of collaborative robotics technology to deliver an original set of anticipatory behaviors that contribute to the improvement of human physical factors during interaction. Ergo-Lean will create radically new Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) systems where the robot and human directly interact, forming a dyad which optimally solves manufacturing problems in the environment, with the robot flexibly contributing to ergonomic improvement of workplace conditions. To achieve this, the research will be articulated along five multidisciplinary scientific objectives to: i) Understand and formulate human ergonomics during dynamic interactions; ii) Investigate ways of applying the HRC technology to the mitigation of occupational risks; iii) Evaluate the influence of feedback interfaces for ergonomic coordination of motor redundancy; iv) Study shared authority models for ergonomic HRC systems; and v) Challenge and demonstrate the improved adaptability and acceptability of Ergo-Lean systems. Ergo-Lean will have profound socio-economic impacts by improving workers’ wellbeing and contributing to productivity.
Max ERC Funding
1 488 750 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-11-01, End date: 2024-10-31
Project acronym GLYCOSWITCH
Project Probing the mysteries of sweet “on-off” switches of the human immune system: toward the development of novel glycomimetics against bacterial infections
Researcher (PI) Roberta Marchetti
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Glycans are directly involved in the normal physiology and in the etiology of several major diseases, spanning from bacterial and viral infections through to cancer and autoimmune disorders. Thus, deciphering the glycome holds huge promise to provide new targets and diagnostics for human health.
Despite the tremendous advance of knowledge in the field of Glycoscience during the last decade, the comprehension at high resolution of the molecular basis of many pathogen-mediated diseases is still incomplete.
GLYCOSWITCH will significantly contribute to fill this gap, providing a holistic picture of the manifold mechanisms of host responses to microbial infections, with a special focus on Gram-negative bacteria. I propose to address bacterial glycans recognition by host immune proteins by using a multidisciplinary approach, combining state-of-the-art synthetic organic chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry and biophysics techniques, massively including NMR spectroscopy. I will apply them in an innovative integrated chemical biology approach in order to decipher key glycan recognition aspects beyond current knowledge. Understanding of molecular mechanisms of detection of invasive virulent bacteria by host organisms will allow to reach the ultimate goal of GLYCOSWITCH project: the design and development of novel and effective glycomimetics able to modulate the function of host immune receptor proteins.
The success of GLYCOSWITCH will unlock attractive opportunities for the development of host-directed strategies to boost the immune response or reverse pathogen-induced immunosuppression.
My unique approach to this project, as an organic chemist with wide expertise in NMR and bacterial glycans, will provide groundbreaking information on protein-glycan interaction systems of paramount importance in biology and biomedicine, opening new avenues for approaching bacterial diseases and their secondary effects.
Summary
Glycans are directly involved in the normal physiology and in the etiology of several major diseases, spanning from bacterial and viral infections through to cancer and autoimmune disorders. Thus, deciphering the glycome holds huge promise to provide new targets and diagnostics for human health.
Despite the tremendous advance of knowledge in the field of Glycoscience during the last decade, the comprehension at high resolution of the molecular basis of many pathogen-mediated diseases is still incomplete.
GLYCOSWITCH will significantly contribute to fill this gap, providing a holistic picture of the manifold mechanisms of host responses to microbial infections, with a special focus on Gram-negative bacteria. I propose to address bacterial glycans recognition by host immune proteins by using a multidisciplinary approach, combining state-of-the-art synthetic organic chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry and biophysics techniques, massively including NMR spectroscopy. I will apply them in an innovative integrated chemical biology approach in order to decipher key glycan recognition aspects beyond current knowledge. Understanding of molecular mechanisms of detection of invasive virulent bacteria by host organisms will allow to reach the ultimate goal of GLYCOSWITCH project: the design and development of novel and effective glycomimetics able to modulate the function of host immune receptor proteins.
The success of GLYCOSWITCH will unlock attractive opportunities for the development of host-directed strategies to boost the immune response or reverse pathogen-induced immunosuppression.
My unique approach to this project, as an organic chemist with wide expertise in NMR and bacterial glycans, will provide groundbreaking information on protein-glycan interaction systems of paramount importance in biology and biomedicine, opening new avenues for approaching bacterial diseases and their secondary effects.
Max ERC Funding
1 994 117 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-02-01, End date: 2025-01-31
Project acronym Light-DYNAMO
Project Light driven hybrid nanocrystal TMDC capacitors
Researcher (PI) Ilka KRIEGEL
Host Institution (HI) FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Sunlight is an intermittent energy source coupled to the availability of the sun. Light-DYNAMO aims for an innovative solution to directly store the solar energy. The challenge is to implement solution-processable light-driven nanocrystal capacitors (NCCs), such as doped metal oxides. They show high charge-storage capacity accumulating multiple delocalized electrons after light absorption. This was to date shown in solution only with the additional drawback of reducing the hole with a sacrificial hole scavenger. The innovative aspect of Light-DYNAMO is to use 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDCs), such as MoS2 or WS2, as efficient hole acceptors in a solid state structure. The sensitivity of the TMDCs’ spatial electronic landscape to the local environment (i.e. strain, defects or doping) serves as driving force for energetically driven hole relocation within the TMDC. The electrons instead remain in the NCCs. This results in long-lasting and efficient charge separation and opens novel design principles. In optimized device structures, such stored carriers are extracted. The working principle of the suggested NC/TMDC hybrid device is based on several challenges: first, the absorption and charge storage capacity of the NCCs will be enhanced by exploring novel materials. Second, the TMDC’s sensitivity to the surrounding will be extracted to a high level of control over the 2D energy level distribution. Third, the intentional design of the energy landscape (e.g. through strain manipulation) in the optimized hybrid geometry will be introduced to control carrier redistribution after charge transfer within the TMDC. Finally, appropriate devices for carrier extraction will be structured. The proposal embarks on a pioneering study by the PI on optical control over carrier density in NCC/TMDC hybrids, advancing such novel systems to a level in which the incoming sunlight is harnessed, converted, stored as charges and released on demand to power an electric circuit.
Summary
Sunlight is an intermittent energy source coupled to the availability of the sun. Light-DYNAMO aims for an innovative solution to directly store the solar energy. The challenge is to implement solution-processable light-driven nanocrystal capacitors (NCCs), such as doped metal oxides. They show high charge-storage capacity accumulating multiple delocalized electrons after light absorption. This was to date shown in solution only with the additional drawback of reducing the hole with a sacrificial hole scavenger. The innovative aspect of Light-DYNAMO is to use 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDCs), such as MoS2 or WS2, as efficient hole acceptors in a solid state structure. The sensitivity of the TMDCs’ spatial electronic landscape to the local environment (i.e. strain, defects or doping) serves as driving force for energetically driven hole relocation within the TMDC. The electrons instead remain in the NCCs. This results in long-lasting and efficient charge separation and opens novel design principles. In optimized device structures, such stored carriers are extracted. The working principle of the suggested NC/TMDC hybrid device is based on several challenges: first, the absorption and charge storage capacity of the NCCs will be enhanced by exploring novel materials. Second, the TMDC’s sensitivity to the surrounding will be extracted to a high level of control over the 2D energy level distribution. Third, the intentional design of the energy landscape (e.g. through strain manipulation) in the optimized hybrid geometry will be introduced to control carrier redistribution after charge transfer within the TMDC. Finally, appropriate devices for carrier extraction will be structured. The proposal embarks on a pioneering study by the PI on optical control over carrier density in NCC/TMDC hybrids, advancing such novel systems to a level in which the incoming sunlight is harnessed, converted, stored as charges and released on demand to power an electric circuit.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-01-01, End date: 2024-12-31
Project acronym NANOLED
Project Toward single colloidal nanocrystal light-emitting diodes
Researcher (PI) Francesco DI STASIO
Host Institution (HI) FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Nanomaterials are a promising technology that includes a variety of applications ranging from electronics to medicine. Within the family of nanomaterials, colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal (NCs) are among the most investigated, thanks to their desirable optoelectronic properties.
Up until now, NCs have been employed in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers of relatively large size (devices of at least few hundred microns in area), therefore exploiting the properties of the ensemble (i.e., a NC film). LEDs based on ensemble of NCs show good performance in terms of efficiency and luminance but their applicability is still limited to standard consumer electronics products such as displays and illumination. Interestingly, thanks to quantum confinement a single isolated NC displays single photon emission, a desirable property for application in quantum technologies. Such property has been studied in detail using optical excitation. Yet, the challenge is to exploit single photon emission from a NC under electrical excitation but this requires the development of complex fabrication tools and methods for device preparation.
NANOLED aims at developing light-emitting diodes based on individual colloidal NCs, thus paving the way to novel electrically driven single-photon sources with small footprint that are embeddable in photonic quantum networks. Further development of quantum technologies requires the investigation of devices based on novel materials for single photon generation.
The project identifies 3 objectives to reach the final goal of fabricating a light-emitting diode based on a single nanocrystal: i) Identification and synthesis of semiconductor NCs with the necessary properties. ii) Development of methods for precise spatial positioning of a single semiconductor NC within electrodes able to inject a current into it; iii) Study of the electroluminescence of a single NC and investigation of its applicability toward single-photon and classical light sources.
Summary
Nanomaterials are a promising technology that includes a variety of applications ranging from electronics to medicine. Within the family of nanomaterials, colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal (NCs) are among the most investigated, thanks to their desirable optoelectronic properties.
Up until now, NCs have been employed in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers of relatively large size (devices of at least few hundred microns in area), therefore exploiting the properties of the ensemble (i.e., a NC film). LEDs based on ensemble of NCs show good performance in terms of efficiency and luminance but their applicability is still limited to standard consumer electronics products such as displays and illumination. Interestingly, thanks to quantum confinement a single isolated NC displays single photon emission, a desirable property for application in quantum technologies. Such property has been studied in detail using optical excitation. Yet, the challenge is to exploit single photon emission from a NC under electrical excitation but this requires the development of complex fabrication tools and methods for device preparation.
NANOLED aims at developing light-emitting diodes based on individual colloidal NCs, thus paving the way to novel electrically driven single-photon sources with small footprint that are embeddable in photonic quantum networks. Further development of quantum technologies requires the investigation of devices based on novel materials for single photon generation.
The project identifies 3 objectives to reach the final goal of fabricating a light-emitting diode based on a single nanocrystal: i) Identification and synthesis of semiconductor NCs with the necessary properties. ii) Development of methods for precise spatial positioning of a single semiconductor NC within electrodes able to inject a current into it; iii) Study of the electroluminescence of a single NC and investigation of its applicability toward single-photon and classical light sources.
Max ERC Funding
1 496 250 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-01-01, End date: 2024-12-31
Project acronym PRE-ECO
Project A new paradigm to re-engineering printed composites
Researcher (PI) Alfonso PAGANI
Host Institution (HI) POLITECNICO DI TORINO
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE8, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Additive manufacturing and Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) processes brought to the emergence of a new class of fibre-reinforced materials; namely, the Variable Angle Tow (VAT) composites. AFP machines allow the fibres to be relaxed along curvilinear paths within the lamina, thus implying a point-wise variation of the material properties. In theory, the designer can conceive VAT structures with unexplored capabilities and tailor materials with optimized stiffness-to-weight ratios. In practise, steering brittle fibres, generally made of glass or carbon, is not trivial. Printing must be performed at the right combination of temperature, velocity, curvature radii and pressure to preserve the integrity of fibres. The lack of information on how the effect of these parameters propagates through the scales, from fibres to the final structure, represents the missing piece in the puzzle of VAT composites, which today are either costly or difficult to design because affected by unpredictable failure mechanisms and unwanted defects (gaps, overlaps, and fibre kinking).
This proposal is for an exploratory study into a radical new approach to the problem of design, manufacturing and analysis of tow-steered printed composite materials. The program will act as a pre-echo, a precursor, to: 1) implement global/local models for the simulation and analysis of VATs with unprecedented accuracy from fibre-matrix to component scales; 2) develop a (hybrid) metamodeling platform based on machine learning for defect sensitivity and optimization; and 3) set new rules and best-practices to design for manufacturing. A 5-year, highly inter-disciplinary programme is planned, encompassing structural mechanics, numerical calculus, 3D printing and AFP, measurements and testing of advanced composites, data science and artificial intelligence, and constrained optimization problems to finally fill the gap between the design and the digital manufacturing chain of advanced printed materials.
Summary
Additive manufacturing and Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) processes brought to the emergence of a new class of fibre-reinforced materials; namely, the Variable Angle Tow (VAT) composites. AFP machines allow the fibres to be relaxed along curvilinear paths within the lamina, thus implying a point-wise variation of the material properties. In theory, the designer can conceive VAT structures with unexplored capabilities and tailor materials with optimized stiffness-to-weight ratios. In practise, steering brittle fibres, generally made of glass or carbon, is not trivial. Printing must be performed at the right combination of temperature, velocity, curvature radii and pressure to preserve the integrity of fibres. The lack of information on how the effect of these parameters propagates through the scales, from fibres to the final structure, represents the missing piece in the puzzle of VAT composites, which today are either costly or difficult to design because affected by unpredictable failure mechanisms and unwanted defects (gaps, overlaps, and fibre kinking).
This proposal is for an exploratory study into a radical new approach to the problem of design, manufacturing and analysis of tow-steered printed composite materials. The program will act as a pre-echo, a precursor, to: 1) implement global/local models for the simulation and analysis of VATs with unprecedented accuracy from fibre-matrix to component scales; 2) develop a (hybrid) metamodeling platform based on machine learning for defect sensitivity and optimization; and 3) set new rules and best-practices to design for manufacturing. A 5-year, highly inter-disciplinary programme is planned, encompassing structural mechanics, numerical calculus, 3D printing and AFP, measurements and testing of advanced composites, data science and artificial intelligence, and constrained optimization problems to finally fill the gap between the design and the digital manufacturing chain of advanced printed materials.
Max ERC Funding
1 477 901 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-10-01, End date: 2025-01-31
Project acronym SHADES
Project Scintillator-He3 Array for Deep-underground Experiments on the S-process
Researcher (PI) Andreas BEST
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary A crucial source of neutrons in stars is the nuclear reaction Ne-22(alpha,n)Mg-25, of major importance for the synthesis of heavy elements. Currently there is an established picture of the astrophysical scenario but only limited availability of reliable experimental data, with several key ingredients under dispute. SHADES will perform a direct measurement of the reaction to resolve the main open questions. The goal is to decrease the uncertainty in the astrophysical reaction rate in the relevant temperature range by at least one order of magnitude, providing a significant leap ahead from the state of the art. SHADES will deliver an increase in sensitivity of more than two orders of magnitude over the state of the art. We will gather direct experimental data over the entire astrophysically relevant energy range. We will construct a neutron detector specifically designed for this measurement. Beam-induced background, a severe problem in the past, will be discriminated by measuring the neutron energy while still maintaining a very detection high efficiency. In recent years research on capture-gated techniques and combinations of different detector types to measure neutron energies has increased greatly. The novel detector array will perfectly fit this profile and find a large field of applications also outside of nuclear astrophysics. The main measurements will be done with the new accelerator LUNA MV, allowing long-term high-intensity, high-energy resolution alpha bombardments. An extended, recirculating gas target will guarantee target stability under intense ion beams. The location of the experiment deep underground will drastically reduce the external background, the main limiting factor so far for low-energy measurements. In my team there will be also leading experts in the field to update the current stellar models using the new dataset to provide a greatly improved and much more robust picture of this important branch of stellar nucleosynthesis.
Summary
A crucial source of neutrons in stars is the nuclear reaction Ne-22(alpha,n)Mg-25, of major importance for the synthesis of heavy elements. Currently there is an established picture of the astrophysical scenario but only limited availability of reliable experimental data, with several key ingredients under dispute. SHADES will perform a direct measurement of the reaction to resolve the main open questions. The goal is to decrease the uncertainty in the astrophysical reaction rate in the relevant temperature range by at least one order of magnitude, providing a significant leap ahead from the state of the art. SHADES will deliver an increase in sensitivity of more than two orders of magnitude over the state of the art. We will gather direct experimental data over the entire astrophysically relevant energy range. We will construct a neutron detector specifically designed for this measurement. Beam-induced background, a severe problem in the past, will be discriminated by measuring the neutron energy while still maintaining a very detection high efficiency. In recent years research on capture-gated techniques and combinations of different detector types to measure neutron energies has increased greatly. The novel detector array will perfectly fit this profile and find a large field of applications also outside of nuclear astrophysics. The main measurements will be done with the new accelerator LUNA MV, allowing long-term high-intensity, high-energy resolution alpha bombardments. An extended, recirculating gas target will guarantee target stability under intense ion beams. The location of the experiment deep underground will drastically reduce the external background, the main limiting factor so far for low-energy measurements. In my team there will be also leading experts in the field to update the current stellar models using the new dataset to provide a greatly improved and much more robust picture of this important branch of stellar nucleosynthesis.
Max ERC Funding
1 346 595 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-02-01, End date: 2025-01-31
Project acronym SMOOTH
Project Sustainable finance for a smooth low-carbon transition
Researcher (PI) Emanuele CAMPIGLIO
Host Institution (HI) ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary The threat of climate change calls for a rapid transition to a low-carbon society. Aligning the financial system with climate stability is a crucial prerequisite for achieving decarbonisation while preserving economic prosperity and societal welfare. However, we currently lack a comprehensive understanding of how the institutional and behavioural features of financial systems may affect the speed and shape of the low-carbon transition. Additionally, the coevolving socioeconomic, financial and environmental repercussions of such a large-scale societal transformation have not yet been systematically analysed. The SMOOTH project will lay the foundations of an innovative macro-financial analytical framework to provide essential insights on the links between financial systems and decarbonisation dynamics. Methodologically, I will introduce a breakthrough by linking macroeconomic analysis with an original evidence-based representation of investment decisions based on forward-looking expectations of transition pathways. In the course of five years, this integrated modelling framework will enable the first comprehensive assessment of the transition financial drivers and obstacles, and their implications for growth, financial stability, employment, private/public debt and functional distribution, with a focus on Europe. Building on this knowledge, a harmonised set of policies aimed at achieving a rapid and smooth transition can be designed. I will go beyond the current state of the art by integrating the analysis of fiscal policies with monetary policies and financial regulation, and investigating their institutional requirements and implications. SMOOTH will create a new interdisciplinary field of research integrating elements from macroeconomic modelling, climate economics, behavioural finance, socio-technical transition theory and political science, lifting the analytical power of transition modelling to a new level and opening up novel avenues for future research.
Summary
The threat of climate change calls for a rapid transition to a low-carbon society. Aligning the financial system with climate stability is a crucial prerequisite for achieving decarbonisation while preserving economic prosperity and societal welfare. However, we currently lack a comprehensive understanding of how the institutional and behavioural features of financial systems may affect the speed and shape of the low-carbon transition. Additionally, the coevolving socioeconomic, financial and environmental repercussions of such a large-scale societal transformation have not yet been systematically analysed. The SMOOTH project will lay the foundations of an innovative macro-financial analytical framework to provide essential insights on the links between financial systems and decarbonisation dynamics. Methodologically, I will introduce a breakthrough by linking macroeconomic analysis with an original evidence-based representation of investment decisions based on forward-looking expectations of transition pathways. In the course of five years, this integrated modelling framework will enable the first comprehensive assessment of the transition financial drivers and obstacles, and their implications for growth, financial stability, employment, private/public debt and functional distribution, with a focus on Europe. Building on this knowledge, a harmonised set of policies aimed at achieving a rapid and smooth transition can be designed. I will go beyond the current state of the art by integrating the analysis of fiscal policies with monetary policies and financial regulation, and investigating their institutional requirements and implications. SMOOTH will create a new interdisciplinary field of research integrating elements from macroeconomic modelling, climate economics, behavioural finance, socio-technical transition theory and political science, lifting the analytical power of transition modelling to a new level and opening up novel avenues for future research.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 956 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-09-01, End date: 2025-08-31
