
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).
Projects
Publications
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Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 based ultrathin solar cells the pathway from lab rigid to large scale flexible technology
NPJ FLEXIBLE ELECTRONICS, 2023 -
SiO$_x$ Patterned Based Substrates Implemented in Cu(In,Ga)Se$_2$ Ultrathin Solar Cells: Optimum Thickness
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS, 2022SiOx Patterned Based Substrates Implemented in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Ultrathin Solar Cells: Optimum Thickness
, 2022Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy of Magnetic Nanoalloys and Their Nanocomposites
, 2022 -
Extrinsic room-temperature ferromagnetism in MoS2
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE, 2021Atomic-Scale Interface Modification Improves the Performance of Cu(In1-xGax)Se-2/Zn(O,S) Heterojunction Solar Cells
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES, 2021 -
Selectivity boost in partial hydrogenation of acetylene via atomic dispersion of platinum over ceria
CATALYSIS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, 2020A one-pot route to stable Pickering emulsions featuring nanocrystalline Ag and Au
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS, 2020In situ generation of sub-10 nm silver nanowires under electron beam irradiation in a TEM
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS, 2020Micro-sized thin-film solar cells via area-selective electrochemical deposition for concentrator photovoltaics application
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 2020Ultrafine-Grained Porous Ir-Based Catalysts for High-Performance Overall Water Splitting in Acidic Media
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS, 2020 -
Surface Science and Colloidal Stability of Double-Perovskite Cs2AgBiBr6 Nanocrystals and Their Superlattices
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS, 2019Atomic-scale dynamic observation reveals temperature-dependent multistep nucleation pathways in crystallization
NANOSCALE HORIZONS, 2019Synthesis and characterization of quaternary La(Sr)S-TaS2 misfit-layered nanotubes
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY, 2019Large-Scale Fabrication of Hollow Pt3Al Nanoboxes and Their Electrocatalytic Performance for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, 2019Thermal Stability of the Black Perovskite Phase in Cesium Lead Iodide Nanocrystals Under Humid Conditions
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS, 2019Nanotube array-based barium titanate-cobalt ferrite composite film for affordable magnetoelectric multiferroics
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY C, 2019In Situ Atomic-Scale Observation of Kinetic Pathways of Sublimation in Silver Nanoparticles
ADVANCED SCIENCE, 2019