ERC Advanced Grant Awarded to Aleksandra Radenovic
© A. Radenovic / 2021
Aleksandra Radenovic has been awarded a highly competitive Advanced Grant by the European Research Council (ERC).
Aleksandra Radenovic, head of the Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology (LBEN) at the Institute of Bioengineering (School of Engineering), has been awarded the grant for a project titled "2D material interactions with liquids probed with nanoscopy tools" (short: "2D-Liquid").
The highly competitive ERC Advanced Grants are given each year to established, leading principal investigators, as long-term funding for "ground-breaking, high-risk" research projects in any field.
"2D-Liquid" Project:
Abstract
In this project, we will introduce a myriad of nanoscopy techniques to investigate solid-liquid interactions taking advantage of either engineered defects or defects already hosted in 2D materials. We will address the pertinent question on the mechanism of reactivity of 2D materials with aqueous electrolytes at ambient conditions. At the start of the project, we will explore defects hosted in two classes of 2D materials: hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Our plans are to define strategies to extend defect imaging combined with other characterization approaches to a multitude of 2D materials. In parallel, we will explore the role of interfacial liquid taking advantage of novel nanofluidic platforms termed angstrom slits that will allow fine-tuning the balance between 2D and 3D liquid. To control defect density in 2D materials, we will use approaches based on focused ion beam irradiation with Xenon and Helium ions.
We will adapt, and develop different nanoscopy tools (such as single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), single-particle tracking (spt), Point Accumulation for Imaging in Nanoscale Topography (PAINT) Minimal Emission Fluxes Microscopy (MINFLUX) and Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM)) to probe the role of the defects on the dynamics of interfacial charges. All nanoscopy modalities used in 2D-LIQUID project can operate in –situ under ambient conditions and are compatible with the probing of defect chemistry, charge dynamics in different pH environments, and under different solvents or solvent mixtures. We believe that obtained insights regarding the role of defects in dynamics of the surface charges will shed light on the water and ion transport through nanopores, nanotubes but also ultimately narrow angstrom slits. Our findings will propel the development of nanofluidics, biosensing, energy harvesting, molecular separation, and other nanoscale technologies that exploit liquid 2D-material interfaces.
We will adapt, and develop different nanoscopy tools (such as single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), single-particle tracking (spt), Point Accumulation for Imaging in Nanoscale Topography (PAINT) Minimal Emission Fluxes Microscopy (MINFLUX) and Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM)) to probe the role of the defects on the dynamics of interfacial charges. All nanoscopy modalities used in 2D-LIQUID project can operate in –situ under ambient conditions and are compatible with the probing of defect chemistry, charge dynamics in different pH environments, and under different solvents or solvent mixtures. We believe that obtained insights regarding the role of defects in dynamics of the surface charges will shed light on the water and ion transport through nanopores, nanotubes but also ultimately narrow angstrom slits. Our findings will propel the development of nanofluidics, biosensing, energy harvesting, molecular separation, and other nanoscale technologies that exploit liquid 2D-material interfaces.
More about this round of ERC Advanced Grants can be read in the official ERC press release.