ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

My vision is to establish, within the framework of an ERC CoG, a multidisciplinary group which will work in concert towards pioneering the integration of novel 2-Dimensional nanomaterials with novel additive fabrication techniques to develop a unique class of energy storage devices. Batteries and supercapacitors are two very complementary types of energy storage devices. Batteries store much higher energy densities; supercapacitors, on the other hand, hold one tenth of the electricity per unit of volume or weight as compared to batteries but can achieve much higher power densities. Technology is currently striving to improve the power density of batteries and the energy density of supercapacitors. To do so it is imperative to develop new materials, chemistries and manufacturing strategies. 3D2DPrint aims to develop micro-energy devices (both supercapacitors and batteries), technologies particularly relevant in the context of the emergent industry of micro-electro-mechanical systems and constantly downsized electronics. We plan to use novel two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials obtained by liquid-phase exfoliation. This method offers a new, economic and easy way to prepare ink of a variety of 2D systems, allowing to produce wide device performance window through elegant and simple constituent control at the point of fabrication. 3D2DPrint will use our expertise and know-how to allow development of advanced AM methods to integrate dissimilar nanomaterial blends and/or “hybrids” into fully embedded 3D printed energy storage devices, with the ultimate objective to realise a range of products that contain the above described nanomaterials subcomponent devices, electrical connections and traditional micro-fabricated subcomponents (if needed) ideally using a single tool.

2 499 942 €

Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2021-09-30

Space exploration is one of boldest and most exciting endeavors that humanity has undertaken, and it holds enormous promise for the future. Our next challenges for the spatial conquest include bringing back samples to Earth by means of robotic missions and continuing the manned exploration program, which aims at sending human beings to Mars and bring them home safely. Inaccurate prediction of the heat-flux to the surface of the spacecraft heat shield can be fatal for the crew or the success of a robotic mission. This quantity is estimated during the design phase. An accurate prediction is a particularly complex task, regarding modelling of the following phenomena that are potential “mission killers:” 1) Radiation of the plasma in the shock layer, 2) Complex surface chemistry on the thermal protection material, 3) Flow transition from laminar to turbulent. Our poor understanding of the coupled mechanisms of radiation, ablation, and transition leads to the difficulties in flux prediction. To avoid failure and ensure safety of the astronauts and payload, engineers resort to “safety factors” to determine the thickness of the heat shield, at the expense of the mass of embarked payload. Thinking out of the box and basic research are thus necessary for advancements of the models that will better define the environment and requirements for the design and safe operation of tomorrow’s space vehicles and planetary probes for the manned space exploration. The three basic ingredients for predictive science are: 1) Physico-chemical models, 2) Computational methods, 3) Experimental data. We propose to follow a complementary approach for prediction. The proposed research aims at: “Integrating new advanced physico-chemical models and computational methods, based on a multidisciplinary approach developed together with physicists, chemists, and applied mathematicians, to create a top-notch multiphysics and multiscale numerical platform for simulations of planetary atmosphere entries, crucial to the new challenges of the manned space exploration program. Experimental data will also be used for validation, following state-of-the-art uncertainty quantification methods.”

1 494 892 €

Start date: 2010-09-01, End date: 2015-08-31

ALUFIX proposes an original strategy for the development of aluminium-based materials involving damage mitigation and extrinsic self-healing concepts exploiting the new opportunities of the solid-state friction stir process. Friction stir processing locally extrudes and drags material from the front to the back and around the tool pin. It involves short duration at moderate temperatures (typically 80% of the melting temperature), fast cooling rates and large plastic deformations leading to far out-of-equilibrium microstructures. The idea is that commercial aluminium alloys can be locally improved and healed in regions of stress concentration where damage is likely to occur. Self-healing in metal-based materials is still in its infancy and existing strategies can hardly be extended to applications. Friction stir processing can enhance the damage and fatigue resistance of aluminium alloys by microstructure homogenisation and refinement. In parallel, friction stir processing can be used to integrate secondary phases in an aluminium matrix. In the ALUFIX project, healing phases will thus be integrated in aluminium in addition to refining and homogenising the microstructure. The “local stress management strategy” favours crack closure and crack deviation at the sub-millimetre scale thanks to a controlled residual stress field. The “transient liquid healing agent” strategy involves the in-situ generation of an out-of-equilibrium compositionally graded microstructure at the aluminium/healing agent interface capable of liquid-phase healing after a thermal treatment. Along the road, a variety of new scientific questions concerning the damage mechanisms will have to be addressed.

1 497 447 €

Start date: 2017-01-01, End date: 2021-12-31

This program’s goal is to develop a scaffold using a new biomaterial source that is functionalised with on-demand delivery of genes for coordinated healing of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). DFUs are chronic wounds that are often recalcitrant to treatment, which devastatingly results in lower leg amputation. This project builds on the PI’s experience growing matrix from induced-pluripotent stem cell derived (iPS)-fibroblasts and in developing on-demand drug delivery technologies. The aim of this project is to first develop a SiPS: a scaffold from iPS-fibroblast grown matrix, which has never been tested as a source material for scaffolds. iPS-fibroblasts grow a more pro-repair and angiogenic matrix than (non-iPS) adult fibroblasts. The SiPS structure will be bilayered to mimic native skin: dermis made mostly by fibroblasts and epidermis made by keratinocytes. The dermal layer will consist of a porous scaffold with optimised pore size and mechanical properties and the epidermal layer will be film-like, optimised for keratinisation. Second, the SiPS will be functionalised with delivery of plasmid-DNA (platelet derived growth factor gene, pPDGF) to direct angiogenesis on-demand. As DFUs undergo uncoordinated healing, timed pPDGF delivery will guide them through angiogenesis and healing. To achieve this, alginate microparticles, designed to respond to ultrasound by releasing pPDGF, will be interspersed throughout the SiPS. This BONDS will be tested in an in vivo pre-clinical DFU model to confirm its ability to heal wounds by providing cells with the appropriate biomimetic scaffold environment and timed directions for healing. With >100 million current diabetics expected to get a DFU, the BONDS would have a powerful clinical impact. This research program combines a disruptive technology, the SiPS, with a new platform for on-demand delivery of pDNA to heal DFUs. The PI will build his lab around these innovative platforms, adapting them for treatment of diverse complex wounds.

1 372 135 €

Start date: 2017-10-01, End date: 2022-09-30