Project description
Overcoming challenges in epitaxial interface fabrication for metal halides
Epitaxial interfaces are crucial for controlling electron flow in electronic, optical and catalytic devices. Current methods of epitaxial growth work well with traditional semiconductors but struggle with metal halides, a challenge that the EU-funded NEHA project could help overcome. Researchers will seek to identify materials that can form epitaxial heterostructures, determine conditions for their synthesis, study their properties and apply them in photocatalysis, photoharvesting and photonic devices. The proposed research will be based on a recent discovery that epitaxial heterostructures based on metal halides can form when there is ionic sublattice continuity.
Objective
Building epitaxial interfaces between two materials that match each other with atomic precision is key to control the flow of electrons in many technological devices spanning electronics, optics and catalysis. Today, these interfaces are realized also with colloidal nanocrystals, for example in the strongly light emitting core/shell quantum dots used in TV displays. For nanocrystals, the synthesis of epitaxial interfaces based on traditional semiconductors (metal chalcogenides/pnictides, etc.) is well consolidated, while it has been much more challenging with metal halides (including the popular halide perovskites), for two reasons: (i) the attempt of coupling materials that are structurally very different from each other; (ii) the high reactivity of metal halide nanocrystals that defies conventional approaches to make heterostructures. This is regretful, considering that many applications (in lighting, energy conversion, catalysis, etc.) would greatly benefit from the ability to grow heterostructures, also considering the variety of materials belonging to the metal halide family. In NEHA, I will turn the intrinsic reactivity of metal halide nanocrystals into an opportunity to re-design synthetic strategies of nanoscale epitaxial nano-heterostructures in which at least one component is a metal halide. I will leverage on our recent discovery that these heterostructures can form when there is a continuity of ionic sublattices, ensuring that the local coordination of ions at the interface is similar in both components. My aims are to: i) identify materials that can be coupled to form epitaxial heterostructures; ii) uncover the synthesis conditions to make these nano-heterostructures; iii) study their properties, also with advanced techniques and modelling, and transformative behaviour; iv) exploit them in proof-of-concept applications that will benefit from the presence of metal halide interfaces. These will include photocatalysis, photoharvesting and photonic devices.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics electromagnetism
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis photocatalysis
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials nanocrystals
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics microelectronics
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
16163 GENOVA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.