The amount of solar energy received onto the earth in a single hour is estimated to be more than the entire annual world energy usage. However, the implementation and efficiency of commercially available solar cells need to use this renewable energy source adequately. It is estimated that 10% of energy usage is in the average home and 20-40% in commercial premises. Furthermore, it is predicted that the world will need 30 terawatts (TW) of energy by 2050, which must come from renewables. The EU Renewable Energy Directive, in conjunction with the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive, has set targets to increase energy efficiency by over 32.5% by 2030. New materials for solar energy conversion (photovoltaics) and low-energy lighting are needed to answer these challenges. The three key challenges in developing new photovoltaics for converting solar energy to electricity are high efficiency, low cost and long life. In this context, this project aimed to synthesise and study new multifunctional materials to act as hosts for semiconductor quantum dots and nanoparticles and to use them in manufacturing and studying solar cells and LEDs.
In that sense, IMPEL studied the possibilities of the Isoreticular expansion of triazine- and benzene-based aryl-phosphonates and presented two (2) new families of Lanthanide-based phosphonate Metal-Organic Frameworks. Both of the series of materials presented high structural and thermal stability. According to the data collected, the Ln_TPPB materials exhibit a high porosity with a surprising Nitrogen (N2) and water (H2O) adsorption. Since the pandemic severely affected the project's first year, the beneficiaries collected preliminary data on Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) encapsulation into known Metal-Phosphonates. We anticipate continuing the last part of this project as soon as the Fellow gets his next position in an appropriate institution.
This project also provided a vehicle for two-way knowledge exchange between the host and Fellow. It is a successful multidisciplinary project spanning chemistry and physics and generated data and outcomes that interest materials scientists, physicists, and the broader scientific community. The extended scientific visits of the Fellow to the University of Crete (Professor Konstantinos Demadis Research Group) and the Christian Albrechts University of Kiel (Professor Norbert Stock Research Group) allowed him to work with the experts in the Field of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). The IMPEL project also helped him establish himself as an independent researcher in his home country, Greece, and in the wider international scientific community.
