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NONLINEAR DYNAMICS OF FLUCTUATING TWO-DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS IN ACTION

Project description

The power of 2D materials for advanced sensing and medicine

Two-dimensional (2D) materials hold great promise for advancing technology, but they come with a challenge. These materials are small and sensitive, which makes them susceptible to noise and unpredictable behaviour. This makes it hard to use them in high-precision devices. However, understanding and managing these challenges could unlock their true potential for groundbreaking applications. With this in mind, the ERC-funded NCANTO project will study how noise and nonlinear behaviour affect 2D materials at the atomic scale. Specifically, it will develop 2D nanomechanical devices that offer both high-frequency stability and sensitive detection of individual cells. The goal is to create tools for better drug screening and personalised medicine, using the unique properties of 2D materials.

Objective

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are unique platforms for studying fundamental science. They bridge the gap between the world of atomic scale dynamics and the world of macroscopic mechanical vibrations. Owing to their small size, they can enable exploration of research areas that lie at the forefront of classical and quantum technologies. But at the same time, their noisy and nonlinear nature limits their performance. This combination of fluctuations and nonlinearities brings to light a new regime of mechanics that has remained largely untapped, and that, if well-understood, can open a wide range of trajectories in high-performance sensing and lab-on-a chip devices.
NCANTO aims at elucidating this strong interplay between nonlinearities and noise at the atomic scale, and will leverage the acquired knowledge to engineer 2D nanomechanical devices that (i) offer extreme frequency stability, and (ii) enable robust and highly-sensitive single-cell sensing. To realize this vision, I will explore the influence of a range of nonlinear dynamic phenomena on two important noise sources, namely frequency fluctuations and biological noise. My approach will combine state-of-the-art modelling and experimental techniques to deliver novel designs that utilize nonlinear dynamic phenomena at their core. These designs will quench frequency noise in 2D resonators for breakthrough performance on the one hand, and will enhance biological rhythms at the single-cell level for robust drug screening on the other. By linking stochastic dynamics, nanomechanics, nonlinear dynamics and structural optimization, I will develop a multidisciplinary research area that will enable a ground-breaking leap forward in the utilisation of 2D materials as nonlinear sensors in frequency-based metrology and bio-health. NCANTO will thus not only herald new frontiers in nanomechanics but will also open new routes towards engineering nanotools for rapid screening tests in drug development and personalised medicine.

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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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.

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.

(opens in new window) ERC-2023-COG

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Host institution

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 1 999 021,00
Total cost

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.

€ 1 999 021,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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