FUNLAYERS

Radical technological transformation in the last one hundred years have been based on the understanding electronic properties of materials that has enabled their application in electronics, energy harvesting, among others. There is no doubt that the solution to the new challenges of our time will also come from the understanding of materials and their applications. In this context, layered materials are very promising on account of their broad range of electronic properties, including insulators, semiconductors, conductors, superconductors, ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, that can lead to a variety of applications.

FUNLAYERS will focus on two types of applications, energy storage and spintronics. The exploration of layered materials is such a vast enterprise that requires the engagement of an army of different institutions. There is a huge effort, worldwide, and if Europe wants to remain competitive and be a major player in this incoming revolution, it is essential to strengthen the capabilities of institutions everywhere, most notably in widening countries. FUNLAYERS will bring together three partners to march together in this direction, two consolidated research institutions with outstanding scientific reputation, MPG and ALBA-CELLS, and INL, in Portugal. Taking advantage of incipient collaborations in layered materials, this twinning exercise will put INL to speed in this blooming research field and will benefit all partners thanks to their complementary strengths.

FUNLAYERS will identify weak points in INL research capacity, and provide training, knowledge sharing, exchange of good practices and access to facilities to address these points. It will engage the three partners in collaborative research aiming at high impact results, and lay the foundations to sustain this collaboration and the positive impact of the project over time and bring concrete solutions to our greatest challenges, namely, climate change and low energy consumption.