Project acronym 2D-PnictoChem
Project Chemistry and Interface Control of Novel 2D-Pnictogen Nanomaterials
Researcher (PI) Gonzalo ABELLAN SAEZ
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2018-STG
Summary 2D-PnictoChem aims at exploring the Chemistry of a novel class of graphene-like 2D layered
elemental materials of group 15, the pnictogens: P, As, Sb, and Bi. In the last few years, these materials
have taken the field of Materials Science by storm since they can outperform and/or complement graphene
properties. Their strongly layer-dependent unique properties range from semiconducting to metallic,
including high carrier mobilities, tunable bandgaps, strong spin-orbit coupling or transparency. However,
the Chemistry of pnictogens is still in its infancy, remaining largely unexplored. This is the niche that
2D-PnictoChem aims to fill. By mastering the interface chemistry, we will develop the assembly of 2Dpnictogens
in complex hybrid heterostructures for the first time. Success will rely on a cross-disciplinary
approach combining both Inorganic- and Organic Chemistry with Solid-state Physics, including: 1)
Synthetizing and exfoliating high quality ultra-thin layer pnictogens, providing reliable access down to
the monolayer limit. 2) Achieving their chemical functionalization via both non-covalent and covalent
approaches in order to tailor at will their properties, decipher reactivity patterns and enable controlled
doping avenues. 3) Developing hybrid architectures through a precise chemical control of the interface,
in order to promote unprecedented access to novel heterostructures. 4) Exploring novel applications
concepts achieving outstanding performances. These are all priorities in the European Union agenda
aimed at securing an affordable, clean energy future by developing more efficient hybrid systems for
batteries, electronic devices or applications in catalysis. The opportunity is unique to reduce Europe’s
dependence on external technology and the PI’s background is ideally suited to tackle these objectives,
counting as well on a multidisciplinary team of international collaborators.
Summary
2D-PnictoChem aims at exploring the Chemistry of a novel class of graphene-like 2D layered
elemental materials of group 15, the pnictogens: P, As, Sb, and Bi. In the last few years, these materials
have taken the field of Materials Science by storm since they can outperform and/or complement graphene
properties. Their strongly layer-dependent unique properties range from semiconducting to metallic,
including high carrier mobilities, tunable bandgaps, strong spin-orbit coupling or transparency. However,
the Chemistry of pnictogens is still in its infancy, remaining largely unexplored. This is the niche that
2D-PnictoChem aims to fill. By mastering the interface chemistry, we will develop the assembly of 2Dpnictogens
in complex hybrid heterostructures for the first time. Success will rely on a cross-disciplinary
approach combining both Inorganic- and Organic Chemistry with Solid-state Physics, including: 1)
Synthetizing and exfoliating high quality ultra-thin layer pnictogens, providing reliable access down to
the monolayer limit. 2) Achieving their chemical functionalization via both non-covalent and covalent
approaches in order to tailor at will their properties, decipher reactivity patterns and enable controlled
doping avenues. 3) Developing hybrid architectures through a precise chemical control of the interface,
in order to promote unprecedented access to novel heterostructures. 4) Exploring novel applications
concepts achieving outstanding performances. These are all priorities in the European Union agenda
aimed at securing an affordable, clean energy future by developing more efficient hybrid systems for
batteries, electronic devices or applications in catalysis. The opportunity is unique to reduce Europe’s
dependence on external technology and the PI’s background is ideally suited to tackle these objectives,
counting as well on a multidisciplinary team of international collaborators.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 419 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-11-01, End date: 2023-10-31
Project acronym 3D-FNPWriting
Project Unprecedented spatial control of porosity and functionality in nanoporous membranes through 3D printing and microscopy for polymer writing
Researcher (PI) Annette ANDRIEU-BRUNSEN
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DARMSTADT
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Membranes are key materials in our life. Nature offers high performance membranes relying on a parallel local regulation of nanopore structure, functional placement, membrane composition and architecture. Existing technological membranes are key materials in separation, recycling, sensing, energy conversion, being essential components for a sustainable future. But their performance is far away from their natural counterparts. One reason for this performance gap is the lack of 3D nanolocal control in membrane design. This applies to each individual nanopore but as well to the membrane architecture. This proposal aims to implement 3D printing (additive manufacturing, top down) and complex near-field and total internal reflection (TIR) high resolution microscopy induced polymer writing (bottom up) to nanolocally control in hierarchical nanoporous membranes spatially and independent of each other: porosity, pore functionalization, membrane architecture, composition. This disruptive technology platform will make accessible to date unachieved, highly accurate asymmetric nanopores and multifunctional, hierarchical membrane architecture/ composition and thus highly selective, directed, transport with tuneable rates. 3D-FNPWriting will demonstrate this for the increasing class of metal nanoparticle/ salt pollutants aiming for tuneable, selective, directed transport based monitoring and recycling instead of size-based filtration, accumulation into sewerage and distribution into nature. Specifically, the potential of this disruptive technology with respect to transport design will be demonstrated for a) a 3D-printed in-situ functionalized nanoporous fiber architecture and b) a printed, nanolocally near-field and TIR-microscopy polymer functionalized membrane representing a thin separation layer. This will open systematic understanding of nanolocal functional control on transport and new perspectives in water/ energy management for future smart industry/ homes.
Summary
Membranes are key materials in our life. Nature offers high performance membranes relying on a parallel local regulation of nanopore structure, functional placement, membrane composition and architecture. Existing technological membranes are key materials in separation, recycling, sensing, energy conversion, being essential components for a sustainable future. But their performance is far away from their natural counterparts. One reason for this performance gap is the lack of 3D nanolocal control in membrane design. This applies to each individual nanopore but as well to the membrane architecture. This proposal aims to implement 3D printing (additive manufacturing, top down) and complex near-field and total internal reflection (TIR) high resolution microscopy induced polymer writing (bottom up) to nanolocally control in hierarchical nanoporous membranes spatially and independent of each other: porosity, pore functionalization, membrane architecture, composition. This disruptive technology platform will make accessible to date unachieved, highly accurate asymmetric nanopores and multifunctional, hierarchical membrane architecture/ composition and thus highly selective, directed, transport with tuneable rates. 3D-FNPWriting will demonstrate this for the increasing class of metal nanoparticle/ salt pollutants aiming for tuneable, selective, directed transport based monitoring and recycling instead of size-based filtration, accumulation into sewerage and distribution into nature. Specifically, the potential of this disruptive technology with respect to transport design will be demonstrated for a) a 3D-printed in-situ functionalized nanoporous fiber architecture and b) a printed, nanolocally near-field and TIR-microscopy polymer functionalized membrane representing a thin separation layer. This will open systematic understanding of nanolocal functional control on transport and new perspectives in water/ energy management for future smart industry/ homes.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 844 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-04-01, End date: 2024-03-31
Project acronym A-FRO
Project Actively Frozen - contextual modulation of freezing and its neuronal basis
Researcher (PI) Marta de Aragão Pacheco Moita
Host Institution (HI) FUNDACAO D. ANNA SOMMER CHAMPALIMAUD E DR. CARLOS MONTEZ CHAMPALIMAUD
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS5, ERC-2018-COG
Summary When faced with a threat, an animal must decide whether to freeze, reducing its chances of being noticed, or to flee to the safety of a refuge. Animals from fish to primates choose between these two alternatives when confronted by an attacking predator, a choice that largely depends on the context in which the threat occurs. Recent work has made strides identifying the pre-motor circuits, and their inputs, which control freezing behavior in rodents, but how contextual information is integrated to guide this choice is still far from understood. We recently found that fruit flies in response to visual looming stimuli, simulating a large object on collision course, make rapid freeze/flee choices that depend on the social and spatial environment, and the fly’s internal state. Further, identification of looming detector neurons was recently reported and we identified the descending command neurons, DNp09, responsible for freezing in the fly. Knowing the sensory input and descending output for looming-evoked freezing, two environmental factors that modulate its expression, and using a genetically tractable system affording the use of large sample sizes, places us in an unique position to understand how a information about a threat is integrated with cues from the environment to guide the choice of whether to freeze (our goal). To assess how social information impinges on the circuit for freezing, we will examine the sensory inputs and neuromodulators that mediate this process, mapping their connections to DNp09 neurons (Aim 1). We ask whether learning is required for the spatial modulation of freezing, which cues flies are using to discriminate different places and which brain circuits mediate this process (Aim 2). Finally, we will study how activity of DNp09 neurons drives freezing (Aim 3). This project will provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of freezing and its modulation by the environment, from single neurons to behaviour.
Summary
When faced with a threat, an animal must decide whether to freeze, reducing its chances of being noticed, or to flee to the safety of a refuge. Animals from fish to primates choose between these two alternatives when confronted by an attacking predator, a choice that largely depends on the context in which the threat occurs. Recent work has made strides identifying the pre-motor circuits, and their inputs, which control freezing behavior in rodents, but how contextual information is integrated to guide this choice is still far from understood. We recently found that fruit flies in response to visual looming stimuli, simulating a large object on collision course, make rapid freeze/flee choices that depend on the social and spatial environment, and the fly’s internal state. Further, identification of looming detector neurons was recently reported and we identified the descending command neurons, DNp09, responsible for freezing in the fly. Knowing the sensory input and descending output for looming-evoked freezing, two environmental factors that modulate its expression, and using a genetically tractable system affording the use of large sample sizes, places us in an unique position to understand how a information about a threat is integrated with cues from the environment to guide the choice of whether to freeze (our goal). To assess how social information impinges on the circuit for freezing, we will examine the sensory inputs and neuromodulators that mediate this process, mapping their connections to DNp09 neurons (Aim 1). We ask whether learning is required for the spatial modulation of freezing, which cues flies are using to discriminate different places and which brain circuits mediate this process (Aim 2). Finally, we will study how activity of DNp09 neurons drives freezing (Aim 3). This project will provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of freezing and its modulation by the environment, from single neurons to behaviour.
Max ERC Funding
1 969 750 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31
Project acronym AXPLAST
Project Deep brain imaging of cellular mechanisms of sensory processing and learning
Researcher (PI) Jan GRUNDEMANN
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT BASEL
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Learning and memory are the basis of our behaviour and mental well-being. Understanding the mechanisms of structural and cellular plasticity in defined neuronal circuits in vivo will be crucial to elucidate principles of circuit-specific memory formation and their relation to changes in neuronal ensemble dynamics.
Structural plasticity studies were technically limited to cortex, excluding deep brain areas like the amygdala, and mainly focussed on the input site (dendritic spines), whilst the plasticity of the axon initial segment (AIS), a neuron’s site of output generation, was so far not studied in vivo. Length and location of the AIS are plastic and strongly affects a neurons spike output. However, it remains unknown if AIS plasticity regulates neuronal activity upon learning in vivo.
We will combine viral expression of AIS live markers and genetically-encoded Ca2+-sensors with novel deep brain imaging techniques via gradient index (GRIN) lenses to investigate how AIS location and length are regulated upon associative learning in amygdala circuits in vivo. Two-photon time-lapse imaging of the AIS of amygdala neurons upon fear conditioning will help us to track learning-driven AIS location dynamics. Next, we will combine miniature microscope imaging of neuronal activity in freely moving animals with two-photon imaging to link AIS location, length and plasticity to the intrinsic activity as well as learning-related response plasticity of amygdala neurons during fear learning and extinction in vivo. Finally, we will test if AIS plasticity is a general cellular plasticity mechanisms in brain areas afferent to the amygdala, e.g. thalamus.
Using a combination of two-photon and miniature microscopy imaging to map structural dynamics of defined neural circuits in the amygdala and its thalamic input areas will provide fundamental insights into the cellular mechanisms underlying sensory processing upon learning and relate network level plasticity with the cellular level.
Summary
Learning and memory are the basis of our behaviour and mental well-being. Understanding the mechanisms of structural and cellular plasticity in defined neuronal circuits in vivo will be crucial to elucidate principles of circuit-specific memory formation and their relation to changes in neuronal ensemble dynamics.
Structural plasticity studies were technically limited to cortex, excluding deep brain areas like the amygdala, and mainly focussed on the input site (dendritic spines), whilst the plasticity of the axon initial segment (AIS), a neuron’s site of output generation, was so far not studied in vivo. Length and location of the AIS are plastic and strongly affects a neurons spike output. However, it remains unknown if AIS plasticity regulates neuronal activity upon learning in vivo.
We will combine viral expression of AIS live markers and genetically-encoded Ca2+-sensors with novel deep brain imaging techniques via gradient index (GRIN) lenses to investigate how AIS location and length are regulated upon associative learning in amygdala circuits in vivo. Two-photon time-lapse imaging of the AIS of amygdala neurons upon fear conditioning will help us to track learning-driven AIS location dynamics. Next, we will combine miniature microscope imaging of neuronal activity in freely moving animals with two-photon imaging to link AIS location, length and plasticity to the intrinsic activity as well as learning-related response plasticity of amygdala neurons during fear learning and extinction in vivo. Finally, we will test if AIS plasticity is a general cellular plasticity mechanisms in brain areas afferent to the amygdala, e.g. thalamus.
Using a combination of two-photon and miniature microscopy imaging to map structural dynamics of defined neural circuits in the amygdala and its thalamic input areas will provide fundamental insights into the cellular mechanisms underlying sensory processing upon learning and relate network level plasticity with the cellular level.
Max ERC Funding
1 475 475 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-12-01, End date: 2023-11-30
Project acronym BrainNanoFlow
Project Nanoscale dynamics in the extracellular space of the brain in vivo
Researcher (PI) Juan Alberto VARELA
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Aggregates of proteins such as amyloid-beta and alpha-synuclein circulate the extracellular space of the brain (ECS) and are thought to be key players in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. The clearance of these aggregates (among other toxic metabolites) is a fundamental physiological feature of the brain which is poorly understood due to the lack of techniques to study the nanoscale organisation of the ECS. Exciting advances in this field have recently shown that clearance is enhanced during sleep due to a major volume change in the ECS, facilitating the flow of the interstitial fluid. However, this process has only been characterised at a low spatial resolution while the physiological changes occur at the nanoscale. The recently proposed “glymphatic” pathway still remains controversial, as there are no techniques capable of distinguishing between diffusion and bulk flow in the ECS of living animals. Understanding these processes at a higher spatial resolution requires the development of single-molecule imaging techniques that can study the brain in living animals. Taking advantage of the strategies I have recently developed to target single-molecules in the brain in vivo with nanoparticles, we will do “nanoscopy” in living animals. Our proposal will test the glymphatic pathway at the spatial scale in which events happen, and explore how sleep and wake cycles alter the ECS and the diffusion of receptors in neuronal plasma membrane. Overall, BrainNanoFlow aims to understand how nanoscale changes in the ECS facilitate clearance of protein aggregates. We will also provide new insights to the pathological consequences of impaired clearance, focusing on the interactions between these aggregates and their putative receptors. Being able to perform single-molecule studies in vivo in the brain will be a major breakthrough in neurobiology, making possible the study of physiological and pathological processes that cannot be studied in simpler brain preparations.
Summary
Aggregates of proteins such as amyloid-beta and alpha-synuclein circulate the extracellular space of the brain (ECS) and are thought to be key players in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. The clearance of these aggregates (among other toxic metabolites) is a fundamental physiological feature of the brain which is poorly understood due to the lack of techniques to study the nanoscale organisation of the ECS. Exciting advances in this field have recently shown that clearance is enhanced during sleep due to a major volume change in the ECS, facilitating the flow of the interstitial fluid. However, this process has only been characterised at a low spatial resolution while the physiological changes occur at the nanoscale. The recently proposed “glymphatic” pathway still remains controversial, as there are no techniques capable of distinguishing between diffusion and bulk flow in the ECS of living animals. Understanding these processes at a higher spatial resolution requires the development of single-molecule imaging techniques that can study the brain in living animals. Taking advantage of the strategies I have recently developed to target single-molecules in the brain in vivo with nanoparticles, we will do “nanoscopy” in living animals. Our proposal will test the glymphatic pathway at the spatial scale in which events happen, and explore how sleep and wake cycles alter the ECS and the diffusion of receptors in neuronal plasma membrane. Overall, BrainNanoFlow aims to understand how nanoscale changes in the ECS facilitate clearance of protein aggregates. We will also provide new insights to the pathological consequences of impaired clearance, focusing on the interactions between these aggregates and their putative receptors. Being able to perform single-molecule studies in vivo in the brain will be a major breakthrough in neurobiology, making possible the study of physiological and pathological processes that cannot be studied in simpler brain preparations.
Max ERC Funding
1 552 948 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-12-01, End date: 2023-11-30
Project acronym ChemLife
Project Artificial micro-vehicles with life-like behaviour
Researcher (PI) Larisa FLOREA
Host Institution (HI) THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2018-STG
Summary One of the most interesting properties of living organisms is the way in which they can sense and respond to changes by moving. Movement has been essential to the survival of all life; even units as small as cells can react to different chemicals through movement. This is a phenomenon known as chemotaxis. Bacteria use chemotaxis to find sources of food, while white blood cells use chemotaxis to follow a chemical trail left by a virus, then find it and destroy it. Throughout areas of science, from robotics to drug delivery, if we could mimic a fraction of this fascinating complexity, the possibilities would be endless.
Imagine micro-structured vehicles, which could ‘navigate’ through complex fluidic environments, and could effectively ‘recognise’, ‘sense’, ‘diagnose’ and ‘treat’ a variety of conditions. This is exactly what this proposed project, ChemLife, will explore. I will make smart droplets which travel through complicated mazes by chemotaxis, communicate with each other, and move to find their partners or locate and neutralise a ‘droplet intruder’. Other biological systems have much more complicated means of movement, such as swimming, crawling or gliding along surfaces. In an attempt to replicate this, I will fabricate ‘swimmers’ and ‘crawlers’, from soft materials which will move independently and travel through liquids or at the bottom of fluidic channels. Not only will these micro-vehicles be able to travel inside fluids, but they will also be able to detect molecules, signal to other vehicles, and repair problems which they encounter. They underpin a key ambition of ChemLife: the realisation of a Biomimetic Toolbox, a library of adaptable vehicles, which can be demonstrated in a wide range of scenarios. The assembly of these micro-vehicles in to ‘smart’ societies which can perform complicated tasks would be a really exciting achievement, with the potential to become a disruptive foundational breakthrough for movement and transport at the micro-scale.
Summary
One of the most interesting properties of living organisms is the way in which they can sense and respond to changes by moving. Movement has been essential to the survival of all life; even units as small as cells can react to different chemicals through movement. This is a phenomenon known as chemotaxis. Bacteria use chemotaxis to find sources of food, while white blood cells use chemotaxis to follow a chemical trail left by a virus, then find it and destroy it. Throughout areas of science, from robotics to drug delivery, if we could mimic a fraction of this fascinating complexity, the possibilities would be endless.
Imagine micro-structured vehicles, which could ‘navigate’ through complex fluidic environments, and could effectively ‘recognise’, ‘sense’, ‘diagnose’ and ‘treat’ a variety of conditions. This is exactly what this proposed project, ChemLife, will explore. I will make smart droplets which travel through complicated mazes by chemotaxis, communicate with each other, and move to find their partners or locate and neutralise a ‘droplet intruder’. Other biological systems have much more complicated means of movement, such as swimming, crawling or gliding along surfaces. In an attempt to replicate this, I will fabricate ‘swimmers’ and ‘crawlers’, from soft materials which will move independently and travel through liquids or at the bottom of fluidic channels. Not only will these micro-vehicles be able to travel inside fluids, but they will also be able to detect molecules, signal to other vehicles, and repair problems which they encounter. They underpin a key ambition of ChemLife: the realisation of a Biomimetic Toolbox, a library of adaptable vehicles, which can be demonstrated in a wide range of scenarios. The assembly of these micro-vehicles in to ‘smart’ societies which can perform complicated tasks would be a really exciting achievement, with the potential to become a disruptive foundational breakthrough for movement and transport at the micro-scale.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 887 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30
Project acronym COINFLIP
Project Coupled Organic Inorganic Nanostructures for Fast, Light-Induced Data Processing
Researcher (PI) Marcus Scheele
Host Institution (HI) EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE5, ERC-2018-STG
Summary The main objective of this project is to design optical switches with a response time < 5 ps, a switching energy < 1 fJ/bit and compatibility with silicon technology to excel in high-speed data processing at low heat dissipation. This will be pursued by combining the chemistry of inorganic, nanocrystalline colloids and organic semiconductor molecules to fabricate thin films of organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures. Optical switches play a pivotal role in modern data processing based on silicon photonics, where they control the interface between photonic optical fibers used for data transmission and electronic processing units for computing. Data transfer across this interface is slow compared to that in optical interconnects and high-speed silicon transistors, such that faster optical switching accelerates the overall speed of data processing of the system as a whole. By modifying the surface of the inorganic nanocrystals with conductive molecular linkers and self-assembly into macroscopic solid state materials, new electronic and photonic properties arise due to charge transfer at the organic/inorganic interface. The multiple optical resonances in these hybrid materials result in strong optoelectronic interactions with external light beams, which are exploited for converting photonic into electronic signals at unprecedented speed. A key concept here is an activated absorption mechanism, in which the nanocrystals act as sensitizers with short-lived excited states, which are activated by a first optical pump beam. Efficient charge transfer at the organic/inorganic interface temporarily creates additional resonances in the molecular linkers, which may be probed by a second optical beam for as long as the sensitizer is in its excited state. Utilizing nanocrystals with excited state lifetimes < 5ps will reward ultrafast response times to pave the way for novel optical switches and high-speed data processing rates for silicon photonics.
Summary
The main objective of this project is to design optical switches with a response time < 5 ps, a switching energy < 1 fJ/bit and compatibility with silicon technology to excel in high-speed data processing at low heat dissipation. This will be pursued by combining the chemistry of inorganic, nanocrystalline colloids and organic semiconductor molecules to fabricate thin films of organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures. Optical switches play a pivotal role in modern data processing based on silicon photonics, where they control the interface between photonic optical fibers used for data transmission and electronic processing units for computing. Data transfer across this interface is slow compared to that in optical interconnects and high-speed silicon transistors, such that faster optical switching accelerates the overall speed of data processing of the system as a whole. By modifying the surface of the inorganic nanocrystals with conductive molecular linkers and self-assembly into macroscopic solid state materials, new electronic and photonic properties arise due to charge transfer at the organic/inorganic interface. The multiple optical resonances in these hybrid materials result in strong optoelectronic interactions with external light beams, which are exploited for converting photonic into electronic signals at unprecedented speed. A key concept here is an activated absorption mechanism, in which the nanocrystals act as sensitizers with short-lived excited states, which are activated by a first optical pump beam. Efficient charge transfer at the organic/inorganic interface temporarily creates additional resonances in the molecular linkers, which may be probed by a second optical beam for as long as the sensitizer is in its excited state. Utilizing nanocrystals with excited state lifetimes < 5ps will reward ultrafast response times to pave the way for novel optical switches and high-speed data processing rates for silicon photonics.
Max ERC Funding
1 497 375 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31
Project acronym DEEPCAT
Project Degradable Polyolefin Materials Enabled by Catalytic Methods
Researcher (PI) Stefan MECKING
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT KONSTANZ
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE5, ERC-2018-ADG
Summary Plastics are essential to virtually any modern technology and therefore ubiquitious. However, when released to the environment they can persist for centuries. One pillar of a responsible future economy is therefore to endow important plastics with a non-persistent nature. Polyethylene (PE) is the largest scale synthetic material, used in transportation, energy storage, water cleaning, clothing and many other fields. However, it is most problematic concerning degradability. This proposal addresses this major challenge by introducing photo- and hydrolytically degradable groups in the PE chain. Directly during catalytic PE synthesis, isolated keto groups will be generated by incorporation of small amounts of carbon monoxide. This yet unachieved goal is targeted via catalysts with extreme shielding and rigid ligand environments in heterobimetallic Ni(II) / main group metal complexes. A compartmentalized aqueous polymerization with precise control of high ethylene/CO ratios will yield the in-chain functionalized PE as nano- and microscale particle dispersions. Living catalytic polymerization in nanoparticles is pursued to achieve ultra high molecular weights and gradient PE chains forming nanodomains varying in ketone density. Aqueous heterophase oxidation with benign oxidants on all these nanoparticle will yield in-chain ester groups. Further types of hydrolytically cleavable groups are targeted via the complementary synthetic approach of step growth from seed- or microalgae-oil derived PE-telechelics. This yields linear PE with in-chain carbonate, acetal and anhydride groups. Basic materials properties of all polymers are determined by tensile tests. Degradation studies reflecting a marine environment will indicate the persistency behaviour and fate of microfragments, using macroscopic specimens and the above particles as models. Knowledge of the particle and bulk morphologies will be instrumental to understand the materials and degradation properties.
Summary
Plastics are essential to virtually any modern technology and therefore ubiquitious. However, when released to the environment they can persist for centuries. One pillar of a responsible future economy is therefore to endow important plastics with a non-persistent nature. Polyethylene (PE) is the largest scale synthetic material, used in transportation, energy storage, water cleaning, clothing and many other fields. However, it is most problematic concerning degradability. This proposal addresses this major challenge by introducing photo- and hydrolytically degradable groups in the PE chain. Directly during catalytic PE synthesis, isolated keto groups will be generated by incorporation of small amounts of carbon monoxide. This yet unachieved goal is targeted via catalysts with extreme shielding and rigid ligand environments in heterobimetallic Ni(II) / main group metal complexes. A compartmentalized aqueous polymerization with precise control of high ethylene/CO ratios will yield the in-chain functionalized PE as nano- and microscale particle dispersions. Living catalytic polymerization in nanoparticles is pursued to achieve ultra high molecular weights and gradient PE chains forming nanodomains varying in ketone density. Aqueous heterophase oxidation with benign oxidants on all these nanoparticle will yield in-chain ester groups. Further types of hydrolytically cleavable groups are targeted via the complementary synthetic approach of step growth from seed- or microalgae-oil derived PE-telechelics. This yields linear PE with in-chain carbonate, acetal and anhydride groups. Basic materials properties of all polymers are determined by tensile tests. Degradation studies reflecting a marine environment will indicate the persistency behaviour and fate of microfragments, using macroscopic specimens and the above particles as models. Knowledge of the particle and bulk morphologies will be instrumental to understand the materials and degradation properties.
Max ERC Funding
2 494 829 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-10-01, End date: 2024-09-30
Project acronym DisConn
Project Neural drivers of functional disconnectivity in brain disorders
Researcher (PI) Alessandro GOZZI
Host Institution (HI) FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS5, ERC-2018-STG
Summary A rapidly expanding approach to understanding neural organization is to map patterns of spontaneous neural activity as an index of functional communication and connectivity across brain regions. Fostered by the advent of neuroimaging methods like resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI), this approach has revealed that functional connectivity is almost invariably disrupted in severe psychiatric disorders, such as autism or schizophrenia. However, the neural basis of such functional disconnectivity remains mysterious. What drives brain-wide functional synchronization? And are there shared pathophysiological mechanisms leading to impaired large-scale neural coupling?
This project aims to elucidate the neural drivers of macroscale functional connectivity, as well as its breakdown in brain connectopathies. To achieve this goal, I propose a multi-scale perturbational approach to establish causal relationships between specific neural events and brain-wide functional connectivity via a novel combination of rsfMRI and advanced neural manipulations and recordings in the awake mouse.
By directionally silencing functional hubs as well as more peripheral cortical regions, I will provide a hierarchical description of spontaneous network organization that will uncover regional substrates vulnerable to network disruption. I will also manipulate physiologically-distinct excitatory or inhibitory populations to probe a unifying mechanistic link between excitatory/inhibitory imbalances and aberrant functional connectivity. Finally, to account for the hallmark co-occurrence of synaptic deficits and functional disconnectivity in developmental disorders, I will link cellular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and learning to the generation of canonical and aberrant spontaneous activity patterns. These studies will pave the way to a back-translation of aberrant functional connectivity into interpretable neurophysiological events and models that can help understand, diagnose or treat brain disorders.
Summary
A rapidly expanding approach to understanding neural organization is to map patterns of spontaneous neural activity as an index of functional communication and connectivity across brain regions. Fostered by the advent of neuroimaging methods like resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI), this approach has revealed that functional connectivity is almost invariably disrupted in severe psychiatric disorders, such as autism or schizophrenia. However, the neural basis of such functional disconnectivity remains mysterious. What drives brain-wide functional synchronization? And are there shared pathophysiological mechanisms leading to impaired large-scale neural coupling?
This project aims to elucidate the neural drivers of macroscale functional connectivity, as well as its breakdown in brain connectopathies. To achieve this goal, I propose a multi-scale perturbational approach to establish causal relationships between specific neural events and brain-wide functional connectivity via a novel combination of rsfMRI and advanced neural manipulations and recordings in the awake mouse.
By directionally silencing functional hubs as well as more peripheral cortical regions, I will provide a hierarchical description of spontaneous network organization that will uncover regional substrates vulnerable to network disruption. I will also manipulate physiologically-distinct excitatory or inhibitory populations to probe a unifying mechanistic link between excitatory/inhibitory imbalances and aberrant functional connectivity. Finally, to account for the hallmark co-occurrence of synaptic deficits and functional disconnectivity in developmental disorders, I will link cellular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and learning to the generation of canonical and aberrant spontaneous activity patterns. These studies will pave the way to a back-translation of aberrant functional connectivity into interpretable neurophysiological events and models that can help understand, diagnose or treat brain disorders.
Max ERC Funding
1 498 125 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31
Project acronym DNA Funs
Project DNA-based functional lattices
Researcher (PI) Tim LIEDL
Host Institution (HI) LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE5, ERC-2018-COG
Summary Nature has evolved astonishingly diverse structures where the nanoscale assembly of components is key to their functionality. Such nanostructures self-assemble at massive scales and at spatial resolutions surpassing top-down production techniques. The leaves of a single tree, e.g., can cover the area of 10.000 m^2 while every mm^2 contains more than 10^8 highly efficient light-harvesting complexes. For future photovoltaic devices, light-managing surfaces and photonic devices it will thus be beneficial to adopt principles of self-assembly. Advances in design and low-cost production of DNA nanostructures allow us to challenge nature. By combining the assembly power of bottom-up DNA origami with top-down lithography it will be possible to fabricate functional nanostructured materials designed on the molecular level while reaching macroscopic dimensions.
With the goal to boost energy conversion rates, I will design DNA structures that grow from pre-patterned surfaces and assemble into interpenetrating 3D networks that exhibit the highest possible contact area for electron donor and acceptor molecules in organic photovoltaic devices. Spectral tuning through carefully designed dye arrangements will complement these efforts.
Custom-tailored photonic crystals built from lattices of DNA origami structures will control the flow of light. By incorporating dynamic DNA reconfigurability and colloidal nanoparticles at freely chosen positions, intelligent materials that respond to external cues such as light or heat are projected.
Positioning accuracy of 1 nm renders possible the emergence of so-called “Dirac plasmons” in DNA-assembled particle lattices. Such topologically protected states are sought after for the coherent and loss-less propagation of energy and information in next-generation all-optical circuits.
These approaches have the potential to reduce production costs and increase efficiencies of light-harvesting devices, intelligent surfaces and future computing devices.
Summary
Nature has evolved astonishingly diverse structures where the nanoscale assembly of components is key to their functionality. Such nanostructures self-assemble at massive scales and at spatial resolutions surpassing top-down production techniques. The leaves of a single tree, e.g., can cover the area of 10.000 m^2 while every mm^2 contains more than 10^8 highly efficient light-harvesting complexes. For future photovoltaic devices, light-managing surfaces and photonic devices it will thus be beneficial to adopt principles of self-assembly. Advances in design and low-cost production of DNA nanostructures allow us to challenge nature. By combining the assembly power of bottom-up DNA origami with top-down lithography it will be possible to fabricate functional nanostructured materials designed on the molecular level while reaching macroscopic dimensions.
With the goal to boost energy conversion rates, I will design DNA structures that grow from pre-patterned surfaces and assemble into interpenetrating 3D networks that exhibit the highest possible contact area for electron donor and acceptor molecules in organic photovoltaic devices. Spectral tuning through carefully designed dye arrangements will complement these efforts.
Custom-tailored photonic crystals built from lattices of DNA origami structures will control the flow of light. By incorporating dynamic DNA reconfigurability and colloidal nanoparticles at freely chosen positions, intelligent materials that respond to external cues such as light or heat are projected.
Positioning accuracy of 1 nm renders possible the emergence of so-called “Dirac plasmons” in DNA-assembled particle lattices. Such topologically protected states are sought after for the coherent and loss-less propagation of energy and information in next-generation all-optical circuits.
These approaches have the potential to reduce production costs and increase efficiencies of light-harvesting devices, intelligent surfaces and future computing devices.
Max ERC Funding
1 997 500 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-04-01, End date: 2024-03-31
