ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

The goal of 2D-TOPSENSE is to exploit the remarkable stretchability of two-dimensional semiconductors to fabricate optoelectronic devices where strain is used as an external knob to tune their properties. While bulk semiconductors tend to break under strains larger than 1.5%, 2D semiconductors (such as MoS2) can withstand deformations of up to 10-20% before rupture. This large breaking strength promises a great potential of 2D semiconductors as ‘straintronic’ materials, whose properties can be adjusted by applying a deformation to their lattice. In fact, recent theoretical works predicted an interesting physical phenomenon: a tensile strain-induced semiconductor-to-metal transition in 2D semiconductors. By tensioning single-layer MoS2 from 0% up to 10%, its electronic band structure is expected to undergo a continuous transition from a wide direct band-gap of 1.8 eV to a metallic behavior. This unprecedented large strain-tunability will undoubtedly have a strong impact in a wide range of optoelectronic applications such as photodetectors whose cut-off wavelength is tuned by varying the applied strain or atomically thin light modulators. To date, experimental works on strain engineering have been mostly focused on fundamental studies, demonstrating part of the potential of 2D semiconductors in straintronics, but they have failed to exploit strain engineering to add extra functionalities to optoelectronic devices. In 2D-TOPSENSE I will go beyond the state of the art in straintronics by designing and fabricating optoelectronic devices whose properties and performance can be tuned by means of applying strain. 2D-TOPSENSE will focus on photodetectors with a tunable bandwidth and detectivity, light emitting devices whose emission wavelength can be adjusted, light modulators based on 2D semiconductors such as transition metal dichalcogenides or black phosphorus and solar funnels capable of directing the photogenerated charge carriers towards a specific position.

1 930 437 €

Start date: 2018-03-01, End date: 2023-02-28

Ubiquitous in nature, light-matter interactions are of fundamental importance in science and all optical technologies. Understanding and controlling them has been a long-pursued objective in modern physics. However, so far, related experiments have relied on traditional optical schemes where, owing to the classical diffraction limit, control of optical fields to length scales below the wavelength of light is prevented. Importantly, this limitation impedes to exploit the extraordinary fundamental and scaling potentials of nanoscience and nanotechnology. A solution to concentrate optical fields into sub-diffracting volumes is the excitation of surface polaritons –coupled excitations of photons and mobile/bound charges in metals/polar materials (plasmons/phonons)-. However, their initial promises have been hindered by either strong optical losses or lack of electrical control in metals, and difficulties to fabricate high optical quality nanostructures in polar materials. With the advent of two-dimensional (2D) materials and their extraordinary optical properties, during the last 2-3 years the visualization of both low-loss and electrically tunable (active) plasmons in graphene and high optical quality phonons in monolayer and multilayer h-BN nanostructures have been demonstrated in the mid-infrared spectral range, thus introducing a very encouraging arena for scientifically ground-breaking discoveries in nano-optics. Inspired by these extraordinary prospects, this ERC project aims to make use of our knowledge and unique expertise in 2D nanoplasmonics, and the recent advances in nanophononics, to establish a technological platform that, including coherent sources, waveguides, routers, and efficient detectors, permits an unprecedented active control and manipulation (at room temperature) of light and light-matter interactions on the nanoscale, thus laying experimentally the foundations of a 2D nano-optics field.

1 459 219 €

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

Wave-particle interactions are ubiquitous in nature and play a fundamental role in astrophysical and fusion plasmas. In solar plasmas, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluctuations are thought to be responsible for the heating of the solar corona and the generation of the solar wind. In magnetically confined fusion (MCF) devices, enhanced particle transport induced by MHD fluctuations can deteriorate the plasma confinement, and also endanger the device integrity. MCF devices are an ideal testbed to verify current models and develop mitigation / protection techniques. The proposed project paves the way for providing active control techniques to tame the MHD induced particle transport in a fusion plasma. A solid understanding of the interaction between energetic particles and MHD instabilities in the presence of electric fields and plasma currents is required to develop such techniques. I will pursue this goal through innovative diagnosis techniques with unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution. Combined with state-of-the-art hybrid MHD codes, a deep insight into the underlying physics mechanism will be gained. The outcome of this research project will have a major impact for next-step MCF devices as I will provide ground-breaking control techniques for mitigating MHD induced particle transport in magnetized plasmas. The project consists of 3 research lines which follow a bottom-up approach: (1) Cutting-edge instrumentation, aiming at the new generation of energetic particle and edge current diagnostics. (2) Unravel the dynamics of energetic particles, electric fields, edge currents and MHD fluctuations. (3) From lab to space weather: The developed models will revolutionize our understanding of the observed particle acceleration and transport in the solar corona. Based on this approach, the project represents a gateway between the fusion, astrophysics and space communities opening new avenues for a common basic understanding.

1 512 250 €

Start date: 2019-05-01, End date: 2024-04-30

The clinical success of anticancer and antiviral vaccines often requires the use of an adjuvant, a substance that helps stimulate the body’s immune response to the vaccine, making it work better. However, few adjuvants are sufficiently potent and non-toxic for clinical use; moreover, it is not really known how they work. Current vaccine approaches based on weak carbohydrate and glycopeptide antigens are not being particularly effective to induce the human immune system to mount an effective fight against cancer. Despite intensive research and several clinical trials, no such carbohydrate-based antitumor vaccine has yet been approved for public use. In this context, the proposed project has a double, ultimate goal based on applying chemistry to address the above clear gaps in the adjuvant-vaccine field. First, I will develop new improved adjuvants and novel chemical strategies towards more effective, self-adjuvanting synthetic vaccines. Second, I will probe deeply into the molecular mechanisms of the synthetic constructs by combining extensive immunological evaluations with molecular target identification and detailed conformational studies. Thus, the singularity of this multidisciplinary proposal stems from the integration of its main objectives and approaches connecting chemical synthesis and chemical/structural biology with cellular and molecular immunology. This ground-breaking project at the chemistry-biology frontier will allow me to establish my own independent research group and explore key unresolved mechanistic questions in the adjuvant/vaccine arena with extraordinary chemical precision. Therefore, with this transformative and timely research program I aim to (a) develop novel synthetic antitumor and antiviral vaccines with improved properties and efficacy for their prospective translation into the clinic and (b) gain new critical insights into the molecular basis and three-dimensional structure underlying the biological activity of these constructs.

1 499 219 €

Start date: 2017-03-01, End date: 2022-02-28