PROMISES · Properties of nanomaterials made from misfit-layered compounds revealed by electron microscopy and simulations
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-09-01 → 2023-08-31
- EU contribution
- €172,932
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Properties of nanomaterials made from misfit-layered compounds revealed by electron microscopy and simulations
A way to reach many of the UN goals for sustainable development is a significant advancement in technology and material science. Although not an explicit goal, green energy is a key element that fuels the sustainable transformation of modern societies. One way to provide green energy is the generation of power from heat waste by thermoelectricity. One promising candidate for high-performance thermoelectric materials are the misfit layered compounds (MLCs) as they combine the properties of two different layered materials. PROMISES focuses on the analysis of nanotubes made of this complex material system and related structures. MLCs are complex systems which require advanced characterization methods to shed light on their performance in potential applications, a main objective of PROMISES. Therefore, nanotubular structures of MLCs and related materials are investigated by advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for a better understanding of their structure, properties and the synthesis conditions of the material. A special focus is put on in-situ TEM studies, the second main objective, which allow to study (nano)materials under application-relevant conditions with external stimuli such as heat or electrical currents. Technological development of in-situ TEM is necessary to solve the problem of sample preparation and contacting of individual nanomaterials especially for electrical in-situ analysis. An additional issue in TEM of very thin nanomaterials is the little contrast observed under focused conditions. A solution can be physical phase plates, which improve phase contrast of thin objects and the combination of aberration-corrected TEM with such phase plates was investigated. In the course of the project, several important findings on MLCs and other layered materials have allowed for a deeper understanding of their structure, properties, stability and the processes involved in the synthesis of these materials. Also, a novel preparation method has been developed to allow the in-situ studies of the stability and evolution of individual MLC nanotubes under the application of high electrical currents. As MLC is a promising candidate for thermoelectrical applications, the possibility of thermoelectrical characterization by in-situ TEM has been explored. As a conclusion, the results obtained in PROMISES have significantly improved the understanding of these materials as well as ameliorated and optimized in-situ TEM characterization approaches of nanomaterials beyond the state of the art.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The novel class of nanomaterials made from misfit-layered compounds offers intriguing properties. However, due to the complex, non-symmetric, structure of the misfit-layered compounds even down to the atomic scale, the analysis of these nanomaterials is a highly challenging task. Our PROMISES proposal will allow to reveal the structure and (opto)electronic properties of these nanomaterials (especially 1D nanomaterials) by combining an experimental and theoretical approach. The experimental analysis comprises advanced electron microscopy and spectroscopy at high spatial resolution as well as related experimental techniques, such as x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence, all of which will be applied to analyse individual nanostructures. The obtained experimental results, particularly once the atomic structure has been revealed, will serve as a basis for the theoretical analysis that will be conducted via ab-initio simulations using the time-dependent variant of the density functional theory. We especially strive for studying these 1D nanomaterials under external stimuli such as elevated and liquid-nitrogen temperature and biasing to assess their properties under application-relevant conditions by employing in-situ electron microscopy. With this approach, we intend to fully reveal the structure and properties of the nanomaterials, which will be of great interest to a broad audience and potentially fuels their application. The work will be carried out by an experienced researcher with a strong background in methodological development of electron microscopy who will diversify and enhance his competences by means of an experimental analysis of the novel class of nanomaterials and by acquiring skills in computational physics. In addition, our PROMISES proposal will strengthen the collaboration between the hosting institutions and enable the main hosting institution to reinforce crucial competence in nanofabrication and ab-initio simulations.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSIDAD DE ZARAGOZA · ZaragozaCoordinatorSpain
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union