Nanostructured Materials

Nanostructured Materials

The Nanostructured Materials group is involved in investigating fundamental aspects and dynamic phenomena at the atomic scale. This is achieved by employing state of the art aberration corrected TEM/STEM imaging and In situ experimentation in combination with image processing, simulations and theoretical calculations. The group has a set of focused and passionate researchers working on current key topics towards implementing advanced electron microscopy techniques and their applications to a variety of nanomaterials, thin films, nanodevices etc. Some of the key materials investigated include energy related and catalytically important materials; the emphasis being on correlating their atomic structure and chemical composition with their properties and potential applications. Understanding the atomic structure of materials is fundamental to exploring their various interesting properties: magnetic, optical and optoelectronic and this is achieved by carrying out aberration corrected S/TEM imaging in combination with analytical electron microscopy.

We also have several current and ongoing collaborations with international researchers who are leading experts in the field.

Research lines:

  • Metal nanoparticles and clusters
  • Novel phases: 1D and 2D materials
  • In situ TEM

Some of the ongoing work of the group include:

  • Implementation of aberration corrected techniques towards the investigations of nanomaterials and nanodevices
  • Investigations of low dimensional materials
  • Metal Nanoparticles and clusters
  • Implementing Tomography-Spectroscopy based techniques for simultaneous structural-morphological-chemical composition analysis of complex nanomaterials in 3D
  • Exploration of novel phases of materials encapsulated within Nanotubes and related nanocavities
  • Investigation of defects in materials
  • In situ transmission electron microscopy to understand nucleation and growth of solid-liquid phases at the interface

Our work is published in leading international journals and include several review articles, book chapters and edited books.

We are always open for new team members. If you are interested in joining the team and applying for external funding (i.e. Marie Curie, FCT, etc.), let us know. For further queries please contact the Research Group Leader: Leonard Deepak Francis (leonard.francis@inl.int).

Team

Alumni

Projects

DrivenPhonon4Me

Non-linear phononics: Manipulating the hidden quantum phases and dynamical multiferroicity

NGS

New Generation Storage

M2N

Moving2Neutrality

FUNLAYERS

Twinning on Functional Layered Materials for Advanced Applications

Design-Solar

Designing superior CIGSe solar cells through understanding and controlling growth

CASOLEM

Correlated Analysis of Inorganic Solar Cells in and outside an Electron Microscope

FLASH

FLASH sintering of lead free functional oxides towards sustainable processing of materials for energy and related applications.

CritMag

REEs-free high-performance permanent magnets based on exchange-spring and high anisotropy phases

2DMS

Two dimensional magnetic semiconductors

NanoREG

A common European approach to the regulatory testing of Manufactured Nanomaterials

Publications