ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

Microporous materials are an important class of solid; the two main members of this family are zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Zeolites are industrial solids whose applications range from catalysis, through ion exchange and adsorption technologies to medicine. MOFs are some of the most exciting new materials to have been developed over the last two decades, and they are just beginning to be applied commercially. Over recent years the applicant’s group has developed new synthetic strategies to prepare microporous materials, called the Assembly-Disassembly-Organisation-Reassembly (ADOR) process. In significant preliminary work the ADOR process has shown to be an extremely important new synthetic methodology that differs fundamentally from traditional solvothermal methods. In this project I will look to overturn the conventional thinking in materials science by developing methodologies that can target both zeolites and MOF materials that are difficult to prepare using traditional methods – the so-called ‘unfeasible’ materials. The importance of such a new methodology is that it will open up routes to materials that have different properties (both chemical and topological) to those we currently have. Since zeolites and MOFs have so many actual and potential uses, the preparation of materials with different properties has a high chance of leading to new technologies in the medium/long term. To complete the major objective I will look to complete four closely linked activities covering the development of design strategies for zeolites and MOFs (activities 1 & 2), mechanistic studies to understand the process at the molecular level using in situ characterisation techniques (activity 3) and an exploration of potential applied science for the prepared materials (activity 4).

2 489 220 €

Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30

Over the past decade, the media, international organisations, as well as policy-making bodies have voiced increasing concern about a growing overlap between the criminal and political spheres in South Asia. Many 'criminal politicians' are accused not simply of embezzlement, but of burglary, kidnapping and murder, so that the observed political landscape emerges not only as a 'corrupt', but also a highly violent sphere. This project is a collaborative and cross-national ethnographic study of the criminalisation of politics in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Bringing together local-level investigation, surveys and historical analysis, the project will produce comprehensive political ethnographies in sixteen sites across the subcontinent, providing empirical material and theoretical directives for further charting of the virtually unexplored terrain of extra-legal muscular politics in the region. Central to the proposed programme of research are the following interrelated objectives: 1) To further develop the method of collaborative political ethnography by designing, collecting and producing case studies which will allow us to write thematically across sites; 2) To generate policy relevant research in the fields of security, conflict, democracy and development; 3) To produce capability by forging an international network of scholars on issues related to democratisation, violence, crime and support the work and careers of the project's 4 Post-docs. The study capitalises on previous research and skills of the PI in the cross-cultural study of democracy and muscular politics in the global South. All members of the research team have expertise in ethnographic research in the difficult spheres of criminal politics, informal economies, and political violence and are hence well and sometimes uniquely equipped to pursue this challenging research thematic.

1 200 000 €

Start date: 2012-03-01, End date: 2016-02-29

The aim of the ALIGN project is to understand, predict, and optimize the photovoltaic energy conversion in third-generation solar cells, starting from an atomic-scale quantum-mechanical modelling of the photovoltaic interface. The quest for photovoltaic materials suitable for low-cost synthesis, large-area production, and functional architecture has driven substantial research efforts towards third-generation photovoltaic devices such as plastic solar cells, organic-inorganic cells, and photo-electrochemical cells. The physical and chemical processes involved in the harvesting of sunlight, the transport of electrical charge, and the build-up of the photo-voltage in these devices are fundamentally different from those encountered in traditional semiconductor heterojunction solar cells. A detailed atomic-scale quantum-mechanical description of such processes will lay down the basis for a rational approach to the modelling, optimization, and design of new photovoltaic materials. The short name of the proposal hints at one of the key materials parameters in the area of photovoltaic interfaces: the alignment of the quantum energy levels between the light-absorbing material and the electron acceptor. The level alignment drives the separation of the electron-hole pairs formed upon absorption of sunlight, and determines the open circuit voltage of the solar cell. The energy level alignment not only represents a key parameter for the design of photovoltaic devices, but also constitutes one of the grand challenges of modern computational materials science. Within this project we will develop and apply new ground-breaking computational methods to understand, predict, and optimize the energy level alignment and other design parameters of third-generation photovoltaic devices.

1 000 000 €

Start date: 2010-03-01, End date: 2016-02-29

"I propose a structured multidisciplinary research programme that seeks to combine advanced materials, such as metal oxides and organics, with novel fabrication methods to develop devices for application in: (1) large area electronics, (2) integrated nanoelectronics and (3) sensors. At the heart of this programme lies the development of novel oxide semiconductors. These will be synthesised from solution using precursors. Chemical doping via physical blending will be explored for the tuning of the electronic properties of these compounds. This simple approach will enable the rapid development of a library of materials far beyond those accessible by traditional methods. Oxides will then be combined with inorganic/organic dielectrics to demonstrate low power transistors. Ultimate target for application area (1) is the development of transistors with hole/electron mobilities exceeding 20/200 cm^2/Vs respectively. For application area (2) I will combine the precursor formulations with advanced scanning thermochemical nanolithography. A heated atomic force microscope tip will be used for the local chemical conversion of the precursor to oxide with sub-50 nm resolution. This will enable patterning of nanostructures with desirable shape and size. Sequential patterning of semi/conductive layers combined with SAM dielectrics would enable fabrication of nano-sized devices and circuits. For application area (3), research effort will focus on novel hybrid phototransistors. Use of different light absorbing organic dyes functionalised onto the oxide channel will be explored as a mean for developing high sensitivity phototransistors and full colour sensing arrays. Organic dyes will also be combined with nano-sized transistors to demonstrate integrated nano-scale optoelectronics. The unique combination of bottom-up and top-down strategies adopted in this project will lead to the development of novel high performance devices with a host of existing and new applications."

1 497 798 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31