Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-actions-marie-curie-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet PhoCuS-Flow (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

PhoCuS-Flow project aims to contribute to the European Research Area (ERA) by developing a new generation of sunlight activated copper photocatalysts supported on mesoporous silica. Three novel concepts are proposed: i) use of tris(triazolyl)methanol-Cu-complexes (developed in the host group) as photocatalysts in organic reactions, ii) the immobilization of the complexes on mesoporous silica materials to be used as heterogeneous and recyclable catalysts and iii) implementation of a continuous flow setup in order to gain in efficiency and potential industrial applicability. These objectives have a direct impact in some of the ‘Societal Challenges’ listed in H2020 i.e. ‘Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy’ and ‘Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials’. PhoCuS-Flow will merge the expertise of the host group in organic chemistry catalysts immobilization and flow processes, together with the background of the applicant in the synthesis of materials, heterogeneous catalysis and management, to reach the desired deliverables and milestones. In addition, a secondment for further specialization in photophysics and photocatalysis has been included in the work plan. An ambitious training program including a number of new scientific and soft skills to be transferred to the applicant is also envisaged. Moreover, the ER will transfer her knowledge to the host groups and will be the link between them to forge future collaborations. Altogether, PhoCuS-Flow will give the candidate a unique opportunity to gain new expertise in different areas of research and new soft skills and leadership capacities. Hence, MSCA will position her at the forefront of the young researchers in the ERA, making possible to reach a position as a group leader at a University in the European Union.

Mots clés : hybrid materials, nanomaterials, heterogenenous catalysis, photocatalysis, flow processes

Participants :
- Institut Català d'Investigació Química (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 170121.6 €
Projet PhotoStem (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

PhotoStem aims to develop a cutting-edge approach to overcome the main cause of patient relapse in cancer treatment. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small population of cells within a tumour characterised by their ability to self-renew and to induce tumourigenesis. Current chemotherapy acts only on the bulk of the tumour mass, leaving CSCs unaffected; this is thought to be the main cause of resistance to cancer treatment. Despite growing knowledge on the existence of CSCs, similarities to normal stem cells challenges the design of selective inhibitors and modulators. Relapse to cancer treatment is an enormous challenge and there is an urge to identify novel therapeutic approaches to target CSCs. Photopharmacology is an emerging field that seeks to precisely control the activity of bioactive molecules with light, allowing for activation or repression of biological function at a specific space and time. It constitutes a truly disruptive innovation that can represent a new direction in drug therapy. We herein propose to use novel photoactivable molecules to target CSCs with precise spatiotemporal control using light. Initially, we will develop novel photoswitchable versions of known inhibitors, and will study their effect in leukemia stem cells both in vitro and in zebrafish models. We will then expand our learnings to target CSCs of solid tumours. The achievement of such an ambitious objective will only be possible via a network of multidisciplinary researchers. The researcher will combine her expertise in drug discovery and leukemia with state-of-the-art photopharmacology techniques from leaders in the field at the host institution. Training-through-research at the partner organisations that include well-recognised experts in haematological malignancies, myeloid zebrafish models and CSC xenograft models will enable the expansion to in vivo applications. The proposed work will provide both new directions in targeted cancer therapy and powerful tools for cell biology.

Mots clés : photopharmacology, cancer stem cells

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet PhotoWann (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

PhotoWann aims to shed light into the exceptional properties related to the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) - a nonlinear absorption process - of cutting edge materials like Weyl semimetals, whose photocurrent has very recently been measured to reach colossal values. Thanks to a newly developed method, the track record of the applicant and the expertise of the Host in this field, we are in a privileged position for quantitatively accessing the structure of the BPVE that emerges from narrow k-space regions surrounding the Weyl points, hence shedding light into the breakthrough experimental measurements as well as proposing novel ones. As an additional major goal for the project, we will perform a combined theoretical-experimental investigation (secondment) with the group of T. Neupert in UZH Zurich for analyzing the beta phase of GeSe, a newly synthesized 2D material that is expected to show unconventional nonlinear absorption properties thanks, among other features, to its unusually large electronic density of states, making it a realistic candidate for future applications. In parallel with these two major objectives, we plan to undertake yet another ambitious goal, namely the development and implementation of a robust and efficient computational algorithm for the calculation of the various properties related to the BPVE within the well-established free-software package WANNIER90. This will undoubtedly benefit a substantial part of the scientific community in this field, as it will turn the up-to-now cumbersome and almost prohibitive calculation of this type of processes into a fairly routine task. Our work will therefore generate a fundamental and systematic understanding of nonlinear physics of solids not only through our particular investigations, but also from many other researcher's via the developed and shared computational algorithm.

Mots clés : ab initio methods, wannier functions, density functional theory, bulk photovoltaic effect, shift current, topological physics, weyl semimetals, 2d systems, semiconductors

Participants :
- University of the Basque Country (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet PolyNanoCat (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Photocatalytic solar fuel production is a potential route to produce clean, renewable and sustainable fuels and chemicals, which would reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Carbon-based materials and organic semiconductors nanoparticles have emerged as potential low cost and efficient photocatalyst materials for hydrogen evolution. However, the photophysical properties of such nanoparticles, and thus the design requirements for optimum function, remain essentially unexplored. This MSCA project, PolyNanoCat, focus on state-of-the-art polymer/non-fullerene acceptor bulk heterojunction nanoparticles as photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution, addressing their previously unexplored photophysical properties. Multiple factors are likely to determine the photophysics of photocatalysts and their solar to hydrogen efficiency, including polymer microstructure, defects and metal atoms addition, but these factors have only received very limited study to date. The PolyNanoCat project aim to correlate the photocatalytic activities of polymer/non-fullerene bulk heterojunction nanoparticles for hydrogen evolution with their photophysical properties by using transient absorption and emission spectroscopic techniques, in order to understand their structure/function relationships with the mechanism involved in the photocatalysis process. The correlation between the photocatalytic activity and the photophysic processes involved in solar-to-fuel production by polymer photocatalysts provide material design guidance for novel, stable and efficient photocatalysts.

Mots clés : hydrogen evolution, organic photocatalysis, transient absorption spectroscopy, polymer nanoparticles

Participants :
- Imperial College London (Royaume-Uni) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 224933.76 €
Projet LIBED-PDs (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Photonic and electronic devices are developed by manipulating the electronic structure of semiconductors and dielectric materials. Fabrication routes that utilize lithography, ion implantation, and self-assembly are expensive or hard to control. Ion-doped organic semiconducting films hold the potential for easy-to-fabricate single-layered devices via solution-based deposition techniques. Currently, flexible devices are fabricated as a stack of uniform thin films with single or multiple semiconducting layers. Modifying the two-dimensional (2D) electronics structure in each film allows for making complex three dimensional (3D) on-chip photonic and electronic devices. Solid-state bipolar electrochemistry was demonstrated in planar Light-emitting Electrochemical Cells (LECs). A conducting floating bipolar electrode (BPE) is placed between the driving electrodes were redox reactions take place driven by the potential drop at the BPE-extremities. Recently, light was shown to induce the same effect in the mixed (ionic-electronic) conducting films. Here, we propose to utilize this non-contact method to locally induce doping in perovskite nanoparticle photonic devices, aiming for two major finding. On one hand, we will take advantage of this optical technique to study degradation mechanism in perovskite nanoparticle surrounded by ionic electrolytes in order to identify the best electrolyte towards enhancing device performance. On the other hand, we will explore new 2D photonic patterns written in planar and flexible perovskite photonic devices. Methods to fix doping in the formed devices will be established. This includes post-doping polymerization or cross linking, as well as high-temperature glass transition ionic conductor along with photothermal nanoparticles. Success of this project will be of high interest for research and industrial applications in perovskite photonics focused on, for example, lighting, lasers sensing and data processing.

Mots clés : electronic ionic conductors

Participants :
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 160932.48 €
Projet MAZINGER (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Photonic integrated technologies provide an outstanding platform for several areas of research, from fundamental tests of quantum mechanics to quantum simulation and quantum communication. Recently, mid-scale circuits have already been applied to various tasks, most notably to realize quantum walks or Boson Sampling experiments. The potential of these technologies to reach large-scale implementations is rooted in the unique features of single photons, such as mobility, high bandwidth and ease of manipulation. In this direction, major obstacles are represented by the availability of sources and detectors with limited efficiency, as well as by an imperfect control over their reconfigurable optical evolutions. However, while practical solutions can be engineered for the two former stages, the latter opens up a challenge when compact and dense integration is desired for high-precision tasks. The research project MAZINGER will take up this challenge by bringing together analytical and numerical tools, in order to enhance single-photon evolutions in state-of-the-art photonic applications. To this end, MAZINGER will employ well-established tools from machine learning, such as reinforcement learning algorithms and saliency maps, to cope with changing environments and non-ideal reconfigurable components, respectively. To strengthen our research, the project involves a collaboration with a leading group in experimental photonics, with the goal of testing out and applying our findings on a high-precision test of quantum mechanics. In particular, the employed numerical techniques will be solidly based on the general framework of multi-photon interference, which has been investigated, both theoretically and experimentally, by the key players of this project. Eventually, MAZINGER will pave the way for self-optimized applications of single- and multi-photon quantum interference in integrated photonic circuits.

Mots clés : multi photon quantum interference, integrated quantum photonics, machine learning

Participants :
- Universität Innsbruck (Autriche) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 174167.04 €
Projet SPARKLE (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Cofund Postdoctoral programme
Statut du projet : SIGNED

Photonics impacts our everyday lives, from the screens that drive our mobile phones, to the fibre optic based communications network that underpins the modern internet, to light based diagnostics systems that identify diseases. It also represents an enormous worldwide sector that is growing twice as fast as the global GDP and expected to reach €615 billion in 2020. Europe is at the heart of this industry with a market that has grown by over 62% over the last 10 years, investing about €10 billion per year in innovation through its 5,000 photonics companies that directly employ over 300,000 with a global market share of 15.5%, second only to China. SPARKLE is an innovative photonics focused intersectoral training, career development and mobility fellowship programme that will be open to experienced researchers of any nationality, resident anywhere in the world, seeking a prestigious career development path in the field of photonics research and innovation. These future leaders with combined skills in scientific excellence, product develop and manufacturing, will be equipped to compete at the highest levels and will ensure that Europe secures a significant proportion of the projected 10,000 new jobs per year that will be created by the photonics industry. The SPARKLE programme will offer 27 two-year fellowships. Objectives: 1. An advanced training programme in a cutting-edge research environment to train the future cohort of world leaders in the field of photonics, highly employable both in academia and industry. 2. Strengthen and raise the excellence and impact of Europe’s photonics research and manufacturing activities, and ensure that Europe continues to compete with the US and China through the transition of leading edge science into market leading products. 3. Address the expanding skills shortage in the field of photonics across Europe, specifically at experienced researcher level.

Mots clés : photonics future research leaders

Participants :
- National University of Ireland (Irlande) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 1986120.0 €
Projet QuantumPhotosynth (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Photosynthesis performed by plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria is the biological process that transforms solar energy into chemical energy with high quantum efficiency. A complete understanding of the factors that modulate the efficiency of this process is a challenge centered at the nexus of fundamental physics and biology, and obtaining that knowledge could pave the way for the design of the next generation of cheap and highly-efficient light-conversion devices. The main aim of this project is to understand how quantum coherence modulates the efficiency of photosynthesis. Quantum coherence is likely to be involved in not only the first ultrafast stages of excitation energy transfer in the photosynthetic light harvesting antenna but also in the charge separation process in the photosynthetic reaction center by coupling to specific vibrational states of this pigment-protein complex (Romero et al, Nature Physics 10, 676-682, 2014) . Here we propose to use time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy and two-dimensional photon echo spectroscopy to demonstrate the specific vibrational modes that sustain quantum coherence at the single molecule level. Time-resolved anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy will provide an insight into the specific vibrations in the molecule that lead to sustained quantum coherence in the charge separation steps of photosynthesis. Results will be confirmed using two-dimensional photon echo spectroscopy and rationalized in a Redfield theory framework. To assess the role of energetic disorder, reaction centers will also be characterized using a combination of single-molecule techniques in order to correlate the quantum coherence arising at the single-molecule level with the efficiency of the whole ensemble. To achieve this, a new technique capable of quantifying quantum coherence at the nanoscale will be developed. This new technique and its applications will deeply impact quantum biology and other fields.

Mots clés : quantum biology, photosynthesis, reaction center, ultrafast phenomena, single molecule, spectroscopy, nanotechnology, quantum coherence

Participants :
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 165598.8 €
Projet CIGNUS (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2018)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Physics
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Photovoltaic energy conversion is the sustainable source of the present and of the future. In the last two decades, its deployment increased by several orders of magnitude, and will keep increasing as solar cell prices keep decreasing. Silicon currently dominates the PV market, but a next generation technology is needed to keep pushing prices down and increasing efficiency. CIGS solar cells are lighter, flexible, and already cheaper to produce than silicon, but their performance is still limited. Nanowires can help improve both cost and efficiency thanks to reduced material consumption, and intrinsically higher performance. In this project we aim to deposit periodic arrays of isolated nanowires by MBE, and by optimising their passivation as well as developing a novel device structure, we hope to increase the efficiency of CIGS solar cells. To do so, we will combine the expertise of the applicant in the growth of III-V semiconductor thin film and nanowires with the knowledge of the host in CIGS materials and MBE, using advanced characterisation techniques and state-of-the-art fabrication facilities.

Mots clés : cigs nanowires mbe

Participants :
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (Portugal) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 159815.04 €
Projet PlasmaPerovSol (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2014)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Photovoltaic or solar cells (SC) devices –that transform light into electricity- have been extensively studied in the last decades since they represent a promising way to exploit the sun energy. Currently, perovskite-based solar cells(SC) are receiving increasing attention due to their low cost and high efficiency. They are very promising as an alternative for the existing ones, but still need to advance to reach higher efficiency and durability and require synthesis methods compatible with the industrial production of CMOS devices at wafer scale. These recent SC are mostly fabricated via wet methods in planar architecture. Inherent to the nature of the wet approaches, usually appear several drawbacks as contaminations and chemical reactions on the interfaces that might result deterioration of the SC performance. PlasmaPerovSol main objective is the fabrication of a complete perovskite solar cell device by a full plasma and vacuum integrated process carried out under the premises of the “one reactor concept”. Thus, the different components of the solar cell will be deposited sequentially within a vacuum reactor avoiding exposition of the materials and interfaces to air or solvents. The technology developed by the hosting group combine vacuum deposition assisted by plasma that permits the fabrication of conformal layers over a large variety of templates. This approach is also proposed here to fabricate conformal multilayers over 1D scaffold that will demonstrate the advantages of 1D-SC. Plasma and vacuum processes present as advantage the high purity and stoichiometric control on the deposition within an ample range of materials compositions. The synthesis approach is compatible with large scale industrial production and allows the fabrication of SC on processable and flexible substrates. At the same time, the low temperatures used make the approach compatible with current CMOS technology and by using masks permits their integration on preformed devices.

Mots clés : perovskite, solar cell, photovoltaic, plasma, vacuum, nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes, graphene

Participants :
- Spanish National Research Council (Espagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 158121.6 €
Projet PHEDRA (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2019)
Action : Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
Panel : Environment and Geosciences
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Phreatic or hydrothermal eruptions are relatively frequent phenomena on active volcanoes hosting shallow hydrothermal systems, where heat and fluids are transferred from the magmatic source to the surface through a porous and fractured rock. Such a flow of fluids promotes the increase of interstitial pressure as well as the alteration and weakening of the host rock, potentially leading to conditions of mechanical failure. The deriving phreatic explosions are able to generate jets of gas and particles, often accompanied by intense fallout of large (10-40 cm) lithic blocks. Due to the complex interaction of the magmatic and hydrothermal systems, phreatic explosions are among the most sudden and unpredictable volcanic phenomena. Their study is hindered by the largely incomplete stratigraphic record, the partial understanding of the underlying physical processes, and by the fact that such eruptions often manifest few, low-amplitude and unclear precursors in geophysical and geochemical signals. This project aims to develop a new physical and numerical model for the simulation of phreatic eruptions, and to apply it to the estimate of volcanic hazard and risk at La Soufrière de Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles, FR), where the recent unrest episodes have increased the alert level for the resident population and for tourists, who increasingly visit the volcanic area. The project will focus on 1) aspects related to establishment and stability of initial conditions in the porous and fractured environment hosting the hydrothermal system; 2) the role of liquid water in the explosion, involving the explosive phase transition (flashing) of overheated water; 3) the 3D simulation of the phreatic explosion dynamics, with focus on potential blast generation and ballistic ejection. The scientific objective is to better understand the mechanism that triggers the explosion of the hydrothermal system under forcing by a deep magmatic source and to predict its dangerous effects.

Mots clés : numerical models, explosive eruptions, multiphase flows, hydrothermal systems, volcanic hazards

Participants :
- Institut de physique du globe (France) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 196707.84 €