Project acronym TUCAS
Project Tuneable Catalyst Surfaces for Heterogeneous Catalysis – Electrochemical Switching of Selectivity and Activity
Researcher (PI) Christoph MAG. RER. NAT. RAMESHAN
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE4, ERC-2017-STG
Summary In heterogeneous catalysis surfaces decorated with uniformly dispersed, catalytically highly active particles are a key requirement for excellent performance. One of the main tasks in catalysis research is the continuous improvement or development of catalytically active materials.
An emerging concept in catalyst design, and the aim of this project, is to selectively and reversibly tune and modify the surface chemistry by electrochemical polarisation. Perovskite-type catalysts raise the opportunity to incorporate guest elements as dopants. Upon electrochemical polarisation these dopants emerge from the oxide lattice to form catalytically active clusters or nanoparticles on the surface (by exsolution). In consequence this leads to a strong modification or enhancement of catalytic selectivity and activity. Electrochemical polarisation offers the possibility to adjust the surface chemistry in response to an external signal (here the applied voltage).
Studies in a realistic catalytic reaction environment (in-situ) will enable a direct correlation of surface structure with catalytic activity, selectivity and the electrochemical stimulation. The unique combination of surface science, heterogeneous catalysis and electrochemistry will take this research to a new ground-breaking level. No research group has yet tried to tackle this topic on a fundamental mechanistic level by this multidisciplinary approach.
The proposed project opens unprecedented possibilities for catalyst design and in-situ control due to the versatility of perovskite-type catalyst materials and dopant elements. Nanoparticle exsolution is a highly time- and cost-efficient way of catalyst preparation and it will offer solutions to major problems in heterogeneous catalysis, such as ageing (sintering) or catalyst deactivation (coking). Tuneable catalyst surfaces will facilitate tackling a major concern of the 21st century, the utilisation of CO2 and its conversion to renewable fuel.
Summary
In heterogeneous catalysis surfaces decorated with uniformly dispersed, catalytically highly active particles are a key requirement for excellent performance. One of the main tasks in catalysis research is the continuous improvement or development of catalytically active materials.
An emerging concept in catalyst design, and the aim of this project, is to selectively and reversibly tune and modify the surface chemistry by electrochemical polarisation. Perovskite-type catalysts raise the opportunity to incorporate guest elements as dopants. Upon electrochemical polarisation these dopants emerge from the oxide lattice to form catalytically active clusters or nanoparticles on the surface (by exsolution). In consequence this leads to a strong modification or enhancement of catalytic selectivity and activity. Electrochemical polarisation offers the possibility to adjust the surface chemistry in response to an external signal (here the applied voltage).
Studies in a realistic catalytic reaction environment (in-situ) will enable a direct correlation of surface structure with catalytic activity, selectivity and the electrochemical stimulation. The unique combination of surface science, heterogeneous catalysis and electrochemistry will take this research to a new ground-breaking level. No research group has yet tried to tackle this topic on a fundamental mechanistic level by this multidisciplinary approach.
The proposed project opens unprecedented possibilities for catalyst design and in-situ control due to the versatility of perovskite-type catalyst materials and dopant elements. Nanoparticle exsolution is a highly time- and cost-efficient way of catalyst preparation and it will offer solutions to major problems in heterogeneous catalysis, such as ageing (sintering) or catalyst deactivation (coking). Tuneable catalyst surfaces will facilitate tackling a major concern of the 21st century, the utilisation of CO2 and its conversion to renewable fuel.
Max ERC Funding
1 997 202 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-01-01, End date: 2022-12-31
Project acronym TURBOFLOW
Project Decoding the complexity of turbulence at its origin
Researcher (PI) Björn Hof
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYAUSTRIA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary "Turbulence is the probably most complex and at the same time most relevant example of spatio-temporal disorder in nature. The transport of heat and mass in stars, the formation of planets, as well as flows in the earth atmosphere, oceans or around vehicles are all governed by turbulence. Despite its ubiquity our insights into this complex phenomenon are very limited. In contrast to many studies which are concerned with turbulent flows at high parameter values I will here use a different approach and investigate turbulence when it first arises and where it is the least complex. I will focus on canonical shear flows, comprising pipe, Couette and channel flows. I have recently determined the critical point for transition in pipe flow, which had posed a riddle for more than a century and inhibited further progress towards a fundamental understanding of turbulence close to onset. At first I will clarify if this transition generally applies to all canonical shear flows. Next I will explore links to non-equilibrium phase transitions in other areas of science by determining the critical exponents and the universality class of the onset of shear flow turbulence. I will investigate and identify further bifurcations the turbulent state experiences as it develops from a spatially intermittent to a space filling state. This will for the first time provide a complete picture of the onset of turbulence and establish links to turbulence studies at higher Reynolds numbers. Investigating the mechanisms leading to fully turbulent flow will not only give valuable insights into the nature of fluid turbulence but may also lead to new ways to control it. Finally I will exploit these insights and devise methods that completely relaminarize turbulent flows. Subduing turbulence is of great practical importance since frictional losses in turbulence are much larger than in the laminar state and hence relaminarization leads to substantial energy savings in transport problems."
Summary
"Turbulence is the probably most complex and at the same time most relevant example of spatio-temporal disorder in nature. The transport of heat and mass in stars, the formation of planets, as well as flows in the earth atmosphere, oceans or around vehicles are all governed by turbulence. Despite its ubiquity our insights into this complex phenomenon are very limited. In contrast to many studies which are concerned with turbulent flows at high parameter values I will here use a different approach and investigate turbulence when it first arises and where it is the least complex. I will focus on canonical shear flows, comprising pipe, Couette and channel flows. I have recently determined the critical point for transition in pipe flow, which had posed a riddle for more than a century and inhibited further progress towards a fundamental understanding of turbulence close to onset. At first I will clarify if this transition generally applies to all canonical shear flows. Next I will explore links to non-equilibrium phase transitions in other areas of science by determining the critical exponents and the universality class of the onset of shear flow turbulence. I will investigate and identify further bifurcations the turbulent state experiences as it develops from a spatially intermittent to a space filling state. This will for the first time provide a complete picture of the onset of turbulence and establish links to turbulence studies at higher Reynolds numbers. Investigating the mechanisms leading to fully turbulent flow will not only give valuable insights into the nature of fluid turbulence but may also lead to new ways to control it. Finally I will exploit these insights and devise methods that completely relaminarize turbulent flows. Subduing turbulence is of great practical importance since frictional losses in turbulence are much larger than in the laminar state and hence relaminarization leads to substantial energy savings in transport problems."
Max ERC Funding
1 474 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-01-01, End date: 2017-12-31
Project acronym UNICODE
Project Evolution and Impact of Heterochromatin on a Young Drosophila Y chromosome
Researcher (PI) Qi Zhou
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT WIEN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS2, ERC-2015-STG
Summary The transition from euchromatin to heterochromatin is a fundamental process that particularly reshaped the epigenomic landscape of Y chromosome. Its definitive genomic underpinning and broad functional impact are still unclear, as heterochromatin (e.g., that of human Y) is usually too repetitive to study. I have previously demonstrated that, the young Y (‘neo-Y’) chromosome of Drosophila miranda has just initiated such a transition, thus is a powerful model to unveil the evolution, regulation and functional interaction of heterochromatin. I showed that this neo-Y still harbours over 1800 genes, and only 20-50% of the sequences are transposable elements (TE). Over five years, I aim to: 1) precisely resolve the structure and insertion sites of TEs as a pre-requisite for studying heterochromatin, by combining state-of-art sequencing and bioinformatic techniques. 2) I will reveal the de novo heterochromatin formation triggered by TE insertions or the heterochromatin/euchromatin boundary shifts on the neo-Y, by comparing the binding profiles of histone modification hallmarks and insulator proteins of D. miranda to its sibling species D. pseudoobscura, which lacks the neo-Y. Such epigenomic changes have likely driven the exaptation or innovation of small RNA pathways that govern the TE mobility. 3) I will then identify the responsible small RNAs and their encoding loci, which are expected to have newly emerged or differentially expressed in D. miranda relative to D. pseudoobscura. 4) Finally, I will develop CRISPR/Cas9 in D. miranda to manipulate the expression of TEs encoding such small RNAs on the neo-Y, in order to scrutinize how TE/heterochromatin evolution on the Y would impact the chromatin landscape of the entire host genome. The combined aim of this multidisciplinary project is to generate a framework for understanding the basic mechanisms of how heterochromatin evolves; and open a new avenue toward the discovery of Y chromosome function beyond male determination.
Summary
The transition from euchromatin to heterochromatin is a fundamental process that particularly reshaped the epigenomic landscape of Y chromosome. Its definitive genomic underpinning and broad functional impact are still unclear, as heterochromatin (e.g., that of human Y) is usually too repetitive to study. I have previously demonstrated that, the young Y (‘neo-Y’) chromosome of Drosophila miranda has just initiated such a transition, thus is a powerful model to unveil the evolution, regulation and functional interaction of heterochromatin. I showed that this neo-Y still harbours over 1800 genes, and only 20-50% of the sequences are transposable elements (TE). Over five years, I aim to: 1) precisely resolve the structure and insertion sites of TEs as a pre-requisite for studying heterochromatin, by combining state-of-art sequencing and bioinformatic techniques. 2) I will reveal the de novo heterochromatin formation triggered by TE insertions or the heterochromatin/euchromatin boundary shifts on the neo-Y, by comparing the binding profiles of histone modification hallmarks and insulator proteins of D. miranda to its sibling species D. pseudoobscura, which lacks the neo-Y. Such epigenomic changes have likely driven the exaptation or innovation of small RNA pathways that govern the TE mobility. 3) I will then identify the responsible small RNAs and their encoding loci, which are expected to have newly emerged or differentially expressed in D. miranda relative to D. pseudoobscura. 4) Finally, I will develop CRISPR/Cas9 in D. miranda to manipulate the expression of TEs encoding such small RNAs on the neo-Y, in order to scrutinize how TE/heterochromatin evolution on the Y would impact the chromatin landscape of the entire host genome. The combined aim of this multidisciplinary project is to generate a framework for understanding the basic mechanisms of how heterochromatin evolves; and open a new avenue toward the discovery of Y chromosome function beyond male determination.
Max ERC Funding
1 971 846 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-08-01, End date: 2021-07-31
Project acronym VAMOS
Project The value of mothers to society: responses to motherhood and child rearing practices in prehistoric Europe
Researcher (PI) Katharina Rebay-Salisbury
Host Institution (HI) OESTERREICHISCHE AKADEMIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Analysing the link between reproduction and women’s social status, this project explores social responses to pregnancy, birth and childrearing from the late Neolithic to the late Iron Age (c.3000-15 BC) through case studies in central Europe. Motherhood and childrearing, often seen as natural, mundane and inevitable parts of women’s lives, are also cultural and historically contingent practices that build the foundations of societies. Exploring the value of mothers to society will aid in understanding important long-term developments such as social stratification, increasing population density and the entrenching of gender roles during the three millennia under investigation.
Bringing together the latest developments in archaeological science, including palaeo-pathology, ancient DNA and isotope analyses, with innovative interpretative approaches, this project will explore if all women were expected to become mothers, highlight alternative lifeways, evaluate risks and consequences of becoming a mother and analyse the social value of reproductive success.
It is the first study that aims to systematically predict the probability of whether or not a woman has given birth using palaeo-pathological markers combined with individual age information and population-specific demographic data. It will contextualize the findings with an in-depth status analysis of women’s graves. Graves of pregnant women, double burials of women and children as well as infant burials will provide further data. The study extends to childrearing (care, feeding, but also abuse, neglect and infanticide) and explores how children were treated after death for insights into their significance.
Current political discourses about mothers in society and workforce frequently refer to ‘natural’ and ‘ancient’ childrearing practices. This project will contribute significantly to our understanding of motherhood and counter naive narratives of childrearing in prehistory with science-based information.
Summary
Analysing the link between reproduction and women’s social status, this project explores social responses to pregnancy, birth and childrearing from the late Neolithic to the late Iron Age (c.3000-15 BC) through case studies in central Europe. Motherhood and childrearing, often seen as natural, mundane and inevitable parts of women’s lives, are also cultural and historically contingent practices that build the foundations of societies. Exploring the value of mothers to society will aid in understanding important long-term developments such as social stratification, increasing population density and the entrenching of gender roles during the three millennia under investigation.
Bringing together the latest developments in archaeological science, including palaeo-pathology, ancient DNA and isotope analyses, with innovative interpretative approaches, this project will explore if all women were expected to become mothers, highlight alternative lifeways, evaluate risks and consequences of becoming a mother and analyse the social value of reproductive success.
It is the first study that aims to systematically predict the probability of whether or not a woman has given birth using palaeo-pathological markers combined with individual age information and population-specific demographic data. It will contextualize the findings with an in-depth status analysis of women’s graves. Graves of pregnant women, double burials of women and children as well as infant burials will provide further data. The study extends to childrearing (care, feeding, but also abuse, neglect and infanticide) and explores how children were treated after death for insights into their significance.
Current political discourses about mothers in society and workforce frequently refer to ‘natural’ and ‘ancient’ childrearing practices. This project will contribute significantly to our understanding of motherhood and counter naive narratives of childrearing in prehistory with science-based information.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 680 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-07-01, End date: 2021-06-30
Project acronym WIN2CON
Project Brain-State Dependent Perception: Finding the Windows to Consciousness
Researcher (PI) Nathan Weisz
Host Institution (HI) PARIS-LODRON-UNIVERSITAT SALZBURG
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH4, ERC-2011-StG_20101124
Summary "The neurophysiological mechanisms of conscious perception are a major unsolved scientific riddle. Since linking brain activity and qualia is currently difficult, the common strategy in neuroscience is first to identify the ""Neural Correlates of Consciousness"" (NCC). A major insight is that consciously versus not consciously perceived stimuli differ not so much on an early sensory level, but mainly in that only consciously perceived stimuli involve a network of frontoparietal regions recurrently connected to sensory cortex. Yet, the studies adhere to the mainstream approach in cognitive neuroscience that relevant brain activity starts with stimulus onset, degrading ongoing fluctuations as irrelevant noise. The present proposal follows an alternative strategy by regarding the history of neuronal activity preceding the stimulus as in integral part of the NCC, i.e. as a window for consciousness. Central to this novel framework, is the extent to which relevant sensory regions are functionally connected to the frontoparietal system prior to stimulus arrival, constituting brain-states that open or close the ""window"" for specific contents. Different strategies will be pursued using advanced time-sensitive electrophysiological methods: 1) Offline experiments will be conducted focussing on the functional connectivity state prior to stimulus onset. 2) A novel online approach will be pursued in which relevant features / signals derived from 1) will be used to control perception experiments in realtime. 3) Cortical stimulation (via TMS) will be applied to selectively modulate ongoing states of functional coupling and to test their effects on conscious perception. While 1) would establish the prestimulus functional network state as important part of the NCC, 2) and 3) would go beyond the correlative level, testing for their causal implication. Overall, including the prestimulus state into the NCC constitutes a paradigm shift in the neuroscience of consciousness."
Summary
"The neurophysiological mechanisms of conscious perception are a major unsolved scientific riddle. Since linking brain activity and qualia is currently difficult, the common strategy in neuroscience is first to identify the ""Neural Correlates of Consciousness"" (NCC). A major insight is that consciously versus not consciously perceived stimuli differ not so much on an early sensory level, but mainly in that only consciously perceived stimuli involve a network of frontoparietal regions recurrently connected to sensory cortex. Yet, the studies adhere to the mainstream approach in cognitive neuroscience that relevant brain activity starts with stimulus onset, degrading ongoing fluctuations as irrelevant noise. The present proposal follows an alternative strategy by regarding the history of neuronal activity preceding the stimulus as in integral part of the NCC, i.e. as a window for consciousness. Central to this novel framework, is the extent to which relevant sensory regions are functionally connected to the frontoparietal system prior to stimulus arrival, constituting brain-states that open or close the ""window"" for specific contents. Different strategies will be pursued using advanced time-sensitive electrophysiological methods: 1) Offline experiments will be conducted focussing on the functional connectivity state prior to stimulus onset. 2) A novel online approach will be pursued in which relevant features / signals derived from 1) will be used to control perception experiments in realtime. 3) Cortical stimulation (via TMS) will be applied to selectively modulate ongoing states of functional coupling and to test their effects on conscious perception. While 1) would establish the prestimulus functional network state as important part of the NCC, 2) and 3) would go beyond the correlative level, testing for their causal implication. Overall, including the prestimulus state into the NCC constitutes a paradigm shift in the neuroscience of consciousness."
Max ERC Funding
1 499 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-05-01, End date: 2017-10-31
Project acronym XSTREAM
Project X-ray-waveforms at the Space-Time Resolution Extreme for Atomic-scale Movies
Researcher (PI) Tenio POPMINTCHEV
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2016-STG
Summary Nonlinear optics revolutionized the ability to create directed, coherent beams particularly in spectral regions where lasers based on conventional population inversion are not practical. New breakthroughs in extreme nonlinear optics promise a similar revolution in the X-ray regime. In a dramatic and unanticipated breakthrough, an international team lead by the PI demonstrated that the high harmonic generation process (HHG) driven by mid-IR lasers can be used to generate keV photons, implementing a >5000 order nonlinear process, while still maintaining the full phase matching that is necessary for good conversion efficiency. This work represents the most extreme, fully coherent upconversion for electromagnetic waves in the 50 year history of nonlinear optics. Moreover, the limits of HHG are still not understood, either theoretically or experimentally. It may be possible to generate coherent hard X-rays using a tabletop-scale apparatus.
In another surprising breakthrough, the PI showed that UV-driven HHG in multiply ionized plasma can be also highly efficient, representing a 2nd route towards the X-ray region. Remarkably, this regime provides X-rays with contrasting spectral and temporal properties. Furthermore, by shaping the polarization of a bi-color mid-IR driving laser the PI, the JILA team in collaboration with Technion, demonstrated robust phase matching of circularly polarized soft X-rays.
In the proposed work, the fundamental atomic, phase matching plus group velocity matching limits of HHG in the multi-keV X-ray regime will be explored using the 3 most promising, complimentary approaches: 1) mid-IR driven HHG, 2) UV driven HHG, and 3) all-optical quasi phase matching. The knowledge gained as a result of this effort will identify the best path forward for generating bright coherent X-ray beams on a tabletop, at photon energies of 1-10 keV and greater with unprecedented attosecond-to-zeptosecond pulse durations, and arbitrary polarization state.
Summary
Nonlinear optics revolutionized the ability to create directed, coherent beams particularly in spectral regions where lasers based on conventional population inversion are not practical. New breakthroughs in extreme nonlinear optics promise a similar revolution in the X-ray regime. In a dramatic and unanticipated breakthrough, an international team lead by the PI demonstrated that the high harmonic generation process (HHG) driven by mid-IR lasers can be used to generate keV photons, implementing a >5000 order nonlinear process, while still maintaining the full phase matching that is necessary for good conversion efficiency. This work represents the most extreme, fully coherent upconversion for electromagnetic waves in the 50 year history of nonlinear optics. Moreover, the limits of HHG are still not understood, either theoretically or experimentally. It may be possible to generate coherent hard X-rays using a tabletop-scale apparatus.
In another surprising breakthrough, the PI showed that UV-driven HHG in multiply ionized plasma can be also highly efficient, representing a 2nd route towards the X-ray region. Remarkably, this regime provides X-rays with contrasting spectral and temporal properties. Furthermore, by shaping the polarization of a bi-color mid-IR driving laser the PI, the JILA team in collaboration with Technion, demonstrated robust phase matching of circularly polarized soft X-rays.
In the proposed work, the fundamental atomic, phase matching plus group velocity matching limits of HHG in the multi-keV X-ray regime will be explored using the 3 most promising, complimentary approaches: 1) mid-IR driven HHG, 2) UV driven HHG, and 3) all-optical quasi phase matching. The knowledge gained as a result of this effort will identify the best path forward for generating bright coherent X-ray beams on a tabletop, at photon energies of 1-10 keV and greater with unprecedented attosecond-to-zeptosecond pulse durations, and arbitrary polarization state.
Max ERC Funding
1 513 335 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-08-01, End date: 2022-07-31
