Marie Curie Fellows
2023
The Development of Hetero structured Nanofibrous Microrobot for Upcycling of Microplastics Integrated with Hydrogen Evolution: From Trash to Treasure (PlastiFuel)
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. Minitha Ramakrishnan
Plastics are essential in our modern world, but we need better ways to handle them after use. We've produced over 8 billion tons of plastics, and about 40% has become waste. This waste breaks down into tiny pieces called microplastics and nanoplastics, which linger in the environment for years. Scientists are exploring ways to turn this plastic waste into something valuable. One promising idea is converting microplastics into hydrogen fuel using light—a process known as photo-reforming. Hydrogen is a clean energy source that could meet our future energy needs. To make this process work, special materials with unique surfaces are used. This project involves advanced 3D carbon structures that help produce hydrogen from microplastics using light and electricity. This "trash to treasure" approach not only generates clean fuel from plastic waste but also helps reduce pollution and inspires new energy solutions.
Ni-rich, Engineered Cu-ZrN@NiCo LDHs Bifunctional Cathode Catalyst for High-Performance Metal-Air Batteries (NEC2-MABs)
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. Waghmode, M. Pumera Chief Investigator
One major challenge today is the shortage of clean, sustainable energy. Researchers are exploring ways to generate and store this energy efficiently. The European Union aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 and is promoting new energy technologies to achieve this goal. Metal-Air Batteries (MABs), like lithium-oxygen batteries, offer much higher potential energy densities than current lithium-ion batteries but haven't yet reached their full potential. They could meet the growing energy demands of portable devices, electric vehicles, and large-scale energy storage. The main obstacles are expensive catalysts and less effective battery cathodes. This project aims to overcome these issues by developing new nickel-rich cathode catalysts with improved structures to increase efficiency. This will result in Metal-Air Batteries that are environmentally friendly, safe, have high energy density, last longer, and are made from low-cost materials—storing more energy while maintaining high power and a long life cycle.
2022
Study of functionalised Pluronic® polymer doping in thermoelectric ionic polymer gels for tuning of ionic Seebeck coefficient and application in harvesting heat to electricity
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. Kevalkumar Sonigara, M. Pumera Chief Investigator
Thermoelectric ionic polymer gels (TEIPGs) are new materials that can turn heat into electricity by moving ions within a gel when there's a temperature difference. They hold promise for harvesting waste heat and powering wearable electronic devices. However, to make them more efficient and easier to produce on a larger scale, further material optimization and design improvements are needed. This project aims to develop better TEIPGs with enhanced energy-harvesting capabilities suitable for printable device fabrication on both rigid and flexible surfaces. This involves modifying Pluronic® polymers with different chemical groups to create new materials, studying their thermoelectric properties, and developing printable inks. These advancements could lead to devices that charge wearables and capture environmental waste heat.
Stretchable Transparent Microsupercapacitor from Nanodiamond Decorated Laser-Induced Graphene: Design and Demonstrator
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. Sujit Deshmukh, M. Pumera Chief Investigator
Stretchable microsupercapacitors (MSCs) can handle bending, stretching, twisting, and compression, making them perfect for powering wearable electronics and implantable medical devices. To enhance these devices, researchers are developing new electrode materials. One promising approach is adding a thin layer of diamond to carbon-based electrodes. Diamond offers excellent electrical properties and stability but is hard to apply to flexible materials using traditional methods, which require high temperatures and solid surfaces.
Recently, scientists have created laser-induced graphene (LIG), a flexible, porous material ideal for energy storage. We propose combining LIG with tiny diamond particles in a single-step laser process. This new nanostructured carbon hybrid benefits from both graphene's flexibility and diamond's superior electrical properties.
By transferring this hybrid material onto a transparent, stretchable silicone rubber, we can produce all-solid-state planar MSCs. This innovation could be a significant breakthrough for flexible and wearable electronics, offering better energy storage solutions for future devices.
Diaminodicyanoanthroquinodimethanes: Electrically driven molecular micromotors
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. Senthilnathan Natarajan, M. Pumera Chief Investigator
Stretchable microsupercapacitors (MSCs) can handle bending, stretching, twisting, and compression, making them perfect for powering wearable electronics and implantable medical devices. To enhance these devices, researchers are developing new electrode materials. One promising approach is adding a thin layer of diamond to carbon-based electrodes. Diamond offers excellent electrical properties and stability but is hard to apply to flexible materials using traditional methods, which require high temperatures and solid surfaces.
Recently, scientists have created laser-induced graphene (LIG), a flexible, porous material ideal for energy storage. We combined LIG with tiny diamond particles in a single-step laser process. This new nanostructured carbon hybrid benefits from both graphene's flexibility and diamond's superior electrical properties. By transferring this hybrid material onto a transparent, stretchable silicone rubber, we can produce all-solid-state planar MSCs. This innovation is a significant breakthrough for flexible and wearable electronics, offering better energy storage solutions for future devices.
2021
Sunlight Active Mesoporous Black TiO2 Micro/Nanomotors
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. Sanjay Gopal Ullattil, M. Pumera Chief Investigator
To address the development of solar-powered nanomotors, this project focused on enhancing titanium dioxide (TiO2), one of the most effective and widely researched photocatalysts. Traditional TiO2 is white and does not absorb visible light, limiting its practical applications in harnessing solar energy. To overcome this limitation, we developed black TiO2 that absorbs energy across the entire visible spectrum. Using this material, we fabricated nano- and micromotors capable of swarming motion to collect microplastics.
Molecularly Imprinted Photocatalytic light-driven micro/nanomotors for selective degradation and detection of pollutants in water and food
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. Mario Urso, M. Pumera Chief Investigator
To meet food demands, agriculture has increased the use of toxic pesticides, leading to environmental pollution and health risks when crops are grown with contaminated water. Europe has introduced stricter food quality regulations, requiring sensitive systems to detect pesticides in water and food. Micro- and nanomotors—tiny devices that move on their own—can quickly break down pollutants into detectable substances. However, current versions lack control and degrade any pollutant they encounter, resulting in non-selective detection, and often rely on toxic fuels or degrade themselves. The "MIPhmotors" project aims to solve these issues by using molecular imprinting to create photocatalytic micro/nanomotors that selectively detect and degrade specific pesticides using light as an energy source. These innovative motors will target only the desired pesticides, and the resulting substances can be detected using standard electrochemical methods. This approach could be extended to detect other pollutants, opening up new possibilities for water purification, environmental sensing, and medical applications.
2020
Sustainable Design of 3D-printed Responsive Interfaces for Electrically Monitoring Bistable (Supra)Molecular Switches: Towards 3D-printed Logic Gates
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. José Maria Martin Muňoz, M. Pumera Chief Investigator
Electronic devices act as switches, enabling digital processing. Traditional silicon processors are made using a top-down approach, but as we strive for smaller, more powerful electronics, scientists are exploring "molecular electronics," where individual molecules perform computing tasks. Nanotechnology has shown that molecules can handle logic functions like traditional semiconductors but are much smaller and multifunctional. Designing these molecular systems is challenging. 3D printing offers a promising bottom-up method to build these devices layer by layer. By advancing molecular electronics and sustainable manufacturing, this research addresses societal needs and could revolutionize how we build electronic devices.
Localized catalytic hotspot detection, manipulation, and creation for Energy Innovations
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. Christian Iffelsberger, M. Pumera Chief Investigator
Europe's focus on sustainability is driving energy innovations, with hydrogen playing a key role. Producing hydrogen through the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) requires effective catalysts. While two-dimensional materials called transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising low-cost alternatives to platinum catalysts, they haven't yet met expectations due to performance issues caused by tiny variations in their chemical composition and structure. Developing nanocomposites of TMDs is a promising but challenging approach. Key challenges include identifying which surface features act as "catalytic hotspots" and designing nanostructures to enhance them. Scanning electrochemical microscopy can help by mapping electrochemical activity and allowing precise surface modifications. This project aims to use localized electrochemistry to tackle these challenges, paving the way for advanced 2D materials and new innovations in energy technology.
Motion Powered 3D Printed Self-Healable Energy Storage for Wearable Electronics utilizing Plastic Waste
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships European to Dr. Kalyan Ghosh, M. Pumera Chief Investigator
Portable and wearable devices like smartwatches and health monitors are increasingly popular but rely on batteries with limited lifespans. Scientists are developing triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) that convert body movements into electricity to power these devices. However, TENGs produce low energy and need efficient storage solutions. By integrating TENGs with supercapacitors (SCs), which store energy effectively, we can create devices that capture and store biomechanical energy. To make them durable, researchers are developing self-healing materials that repair themselves when damaged. They're also using 3D printing and recycled materials like plastic bottles to enhance performance and sustainability—turning waste into valuable components for powering wearable electronics.