Thursday, 18 January, 2024
Two new ERC grants for CeNS members
Tim Liedl and Emiliano Cortés have been awarded European Research Council (ERC) funding
Professor Tim Liedl (Physics) is a past recipient of an ERC Consolidator Grant, while Professor Emiliano Cortés (Nanomaterials for Energy, Physics) is a former recipients of a Starting Grant. Now the LMU scientists have been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) Grant to build on their work. The PoC program helps researchers translate their research results into practice.
A microscope for ultrafast surface processes
In his research group at LMU’s Nano Institute Munich, Emiliano Cortés has developed a microscope that has a resolution of up to two nanometers and is capable of monitoring ultrafast surface processes on non-transparent materials under real operational conditions. The device could have a broad range of applications in many important sectors, such as the semiconductor industry, battery development and manufacturing, and green energy, where it is critical to visualize surface phenomena label-free and in real time.
This is where Cortés’s new ERC PoC project SURFLIGHT comes in, which has set itself the goal of bringing the remarkable optical microscope to market. The SURFLIGHT microscope is able to identify active sites on surfaces and nanomaterials, which are essential for catalytic reactions and solar energy conversion. This technology streamlines catalysis R&D by offering real-time visualizations, cutting costs, and optimizing catalyst utilization. Moreover, it minimizes the need for repetitive tests, conserving time and resources, while enhancing catalyst lifespans and reducing replacements through real-time monitoring of catalyst degradation under real-world conditions. This safeguards against large-scale process failures.
Cortés and his research group propose to carry out a thorough market analysis within SURFLIGHT. The team has already filled in two patents for this technology. Intensive dialog with academic and industrial partners will help nail down the industry’s demands and needs for the microscope, enabling the researchers to optimize the microscope and target specific customer sectors. This would allow SURFLIGHT to be brought rapidly to market and offered commercially to a wide range of industrial sectors.
Emiliano Cortés is Professor of Experimental Physics at LMU. This is not his first ERC award, having received a Starting Grant in 2018. He heads the Nanomaterials for Energy research group at LMU’s Nano Institute Munich. The physicist is also a member of the “e-conversion” cluster of excellence for researching the fundamentals of energy conversion processes, the Center for Nanoscience (CeNS), and the Bavarian Initiative for Solar Technologies (SolTech).
Counterfeit-proof nano tags
Professor of Experimental Physics at LMU, Tim Liedl is a member of the Center for NanoScience (CeNS). He studies the application of DNA-based nanostructures in biology and in self-organizing optically active materials. As such, his multidisciplinary research operates at the interface between nanoscience and biophysics.
In 2022, counterfeit and pirated goods worth 119 billion euros were sold in the EU. Fake products present a major societal challenge in an increasingly globalized world with long supply chains. They also pose considerable safety risks, especially when it comes to sensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals. The WHO estimates that around 100,000 children under the age of five die every year having taken counterfeit medicines.
Security measures against counterfeit medical products include tamper-proof seals, serial numbers, RFID tags, optically variable inks, and holograms. However, current strategies to impede counterfeiting of genuine goods have often proved to be insufficient. Tim Liedl describes the situation as follows: “With current physical authentication tags, the features can be imitated.” The lack of a simple and robust method to verify the authenticity of a product causes huge economic and human damage.
Tim Liedl wants to solve this problem using nanotechnology. In the course of his newly funded project NanoPUF (Physical Unclonable Anticounterfeit Tags Using Nanotechnology), he plans to pave the way for the commercialization of non-copyable physical markers that are affixed to product packaging and can be authenticated using a 3D-printed wearable microscope. “Our work, which has progressed from a raw idea to a concrete prototype over the past few years, offers a counterfeit-proof, cheap, and reliable packaging solution. It can become part of supply chain logistics for everything from pharmaceuticals to luxury goods – and could potentially even be used on banknotes,” says Liedl.
Surce: LMU Homepage