Project description
Cleaner and cheaper production and disposal of electronics
Electronics have become increasingly essential in most industrial and private sectors. Despite these risks, and threats posed by climate change, their production still requires toxic or scarce materials, sometimes both. That has made their production and disposal costlier and more harmful to the environment. The EU-funded NeGeMat project offers a solution to this crucial issue. It will develop the synthesis process for thin films of two materials, utilising non-toxic elements, the first a narrow band gap semiconductor and the second a Weyl semimetal. These innovative materials and production processes would offer cheaper and cleaner production for products necessary for our modern society.
Objective
The current electronics present in everyone’s daily lives are made up of several different materials, some of which are scarce, toxic or even both. Developing new toxic-free widely available materials that could take part in the same processes would help the environment, with less toxic elements being disposed of. Furthermore, using widely available elements could also lead to a lower price, making electronics more available throughout the world.
This project focuses on the synthesis of thin films of two materials, which would be a world first, formed of widely available, non-toxic elements, Sr3GeO and Sr2MnGe2O7. The first is a narrow band gap semiconductor, and could replace highly toxic ones in use as mercury cadmium telluride. The second has recently been proposed as a Weyl semimetal.
The fabrication of these materials as epitaxial thin films will enable the development of devices based on them, bringing us forward to greener electronics and creating scientific knowledge on new materials and their properties that could lead to many more applications.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global FellowshipsCoordinator
15782 Santiago De Compostela
Spain