ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

Most celestial bodies, from planets, to stars, to black holes; gain mass during their lives by means of an accretion disc. Understanding the physical processes that determine the rate at which matter accretes and energy is radiated in these discs is vital for unraveling the formation, evolution, and fate of almost every type of object in the Universe. Despite the fact that magnetic fields have been known to be crucial in accretion discs since the early 90’s, the majority of astrophysical questions that depend on the details of how disc accretion proceeds are still being addressed using the “standard” accretion disc model (developed in the early 70’s), where magnetic fields do not play an explicit role. This has prevented us from fully exploring the astrophysical consequences and observational signatures of realistic accretion disc models, leading to a profound disconnect between observations (usually interpreted with the standard paradigm) and modern accretion disc theory and numerical simulations (where magnetic turbulence is crucial). The goal of this proposal is to use several complementary approaches in order to finally move beyond the standard paradigm. This program has two main objectives: 1) Develop the theoretical framework to incorporate magnetic fields, and the ensuing turbulence, into self-consistent accretion disc models, and investigate their observational implications. 2) Investigate transport and radiative processes in collision-less disc regions, where non-thermal radiation originates, by employing a kinetic particle description of the plasma. In order to achieve these goals, we will use, and build upon, state-of-the-art magnetohydrodynamic and particle-in-cell codes in conjunction with theoretical modeling. This framework will make it possible to address fundamental questions on stellar and planet formation, binary systems with a compact object, and supermassive black hole feedback in a way that has no counterpart within the standard paradigm.

1 793 697 €

Start date: 2013-02-01, End date: 2018-01-31

The suite of graphene’s unique properties and applications can be enormously enhanced by its functionalization. As non-covalently functionalized graphenes do not target all graphene’s properties and may suffer from limited stability, covalent functionalization represents a promising way for controlling graphene’s properties. To date, only a few well-defined graphene derivatives have been introduced. Among them, fluorographene (FG) stands out as a prominent member because of its easy synthesis and high stability. Being a perfluorinated hydrocarbon, FG was believed to be as unreactive as the two-dimensional counterpart perfluoropolyethylene (Teflon®). However, our recent experiments showed that FG is not chemically inert and can be used as a viable precursor for synthesizing graphene derivatives. This surprising behavior indicates that common textbook grade knowledge cannot blindly be applied to the chemistry of 2D materials. Further, there might be specific rules behind the chemistry of 2D materials, forming a new chemical discipline we tentatively call 2D chemistry. The main aim of the project is to explore, identify and apply the rules of 2D chemistry starting from FG. Using the knowledge gained of 2D chemistry, we will attempt to control the chemistry of various 2D materials aimed at preparing stable graphene derivatives with designed properties, e.g., 1-3 eV band gap, fluorescent properties, sustainable magnetic ordering and dispersability in polar media. The new graphene derivatives will be applied in sensing, imaging, magnetic delivery and catalysis and new emerging applications arising from the synergistic phenomena are expected. We envisage that new applications will be opened up that benefit from the 2D scaffold and tailored properties of the synthesized derivatives. The derivatives will be used for the synthesis of 3D hybrid materials by covalent linking of the 2D sheets joined with other organic and inorganic molecules, nanomaterials or biomacromolecules.

1 831 103 €

Start date: 2016-06-01, End date: 2021-05-31

"Two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets, which possess a high degree of anisotropy with nanoscale thickness and infinite length in other dimensions, hold enormous promise as a novel class of ultrathin 2D nanomaterials with various unique functionalities and properties, and exhibit great potential in energy storage and conversion systems that are substantially different from their respective 3D bulk forms. Here I propose a strategy for the synthesis and processing of various 2D nanosheets across a broad range of inorganic, organic and polymeric materials with molecular-level or thin thickness through both the top-down exfoliation of layered materials and the bottom-up assembly of available molecular building blocks. Further, I aim to develop the synthesis of various 2D-nanosheet based composite materials with thickness of less than 100 nm and the assembly of 2D nanosheets into novel hierarchal superstrucutures (like aerogels, spheres, porous particles, nanotubes, multi-layer films). The structural features of these 2D nanomaterials will be controllably tailored by both the used layered precursors and processing methodologies. The consequence is that I will apply and combine defined functional components as well as assembly protocols to create novel 2D nanomaterials for specific purposes in energy storage and conversion systems. Their unique characters will include the good electrical conductivity, excellent mechanical flexibility, high surface area, high chemical stability, fast electron transport and ion diffusion etc. Applications will be mainly demonstrated for the construction of lithium ion batteries (anode and cathode), supercapacitors (symmetric and asymmetric) and fuel cells. As the key achievements, I expect to establish the delineation of reliable structure-property relationships and improved device performance of 2D nanomaterials."

1 500 000 €

Start date: 2012-09-01, End date: 2017-08-31

Despite their amazing success, we believe that computer vision algorithms have only scratched the surface of what can be done in terms of modeling and understanding our world from images. We believe that novel image analysis techniques will be a major enabler and driving force behind next-generation technologies, enhancing everyday life and opening up radically new possibilities. And we believe that the key to achieving this is to develop algorithms for reconstructing and analyzing the 3D structure of our world. In this project, we will focus on three lines of research: A) We will develop algorithms for 3D reconstruction from standard color cameras and from RGB-D cameras. In particular, we will promote real-time-capable direct and dense methods. In contrast to the classical two-stage approach of sparse feature-point based motion estimation and subsequent dense reconstruction, these methods optimally exploit all color information to jointly estimate dense geometry and camera motion. B) We will develop algorithms for 3D shape analysis, including rigid and non-rigid matching, decomposition and interpretation of 3D shapes. We will focus on algorithms which are optimal or near-optimal. One of the major computational challenges lies in generalizing existing 2D shape analysis techniques to shapes in 3D and 4D (temporal evolutions of 3D shape). C) We will develop shape priors for 3D reconstruction. These can be learned from sample shapes or acquired during the reconstruction process. For example, when reconstructing a larger office algorithms may exploit the geometric self-similarity of the scene, storing a model of a chair and its multiple instances only once rather than multiple times. Advancing the state of the art in geometric reconstruction and geometric analysis will have a profound impact well beyond computer vision. We strongly believe that we have the necessary competence to pursue this project. Preliminary results have been well received by the community.

2 000 000 €

Start date: 2015-09-01, End date: 2020-08-31