Developing sustainable solar energy technology becomes extremely important to secure our energy future. A highly novel solar thermal technology, from both nanotechnology and phase change approaches, is proposed in this project to address the limitations associated with conventional solar thermal collectors. In this innovative technology, direct absorption nanoparticles are used to overcome the surface-controlled heat transfer limitation and absorb solar energy directly in the carrying fluid, and oscillating vapour bubbles (in oscillating heat pipes) are used to drive the fluids instead of pumps. Preliminary studies have shown the feasibility of the new concept, which has both prosperous scientific and applicaton propsects. Scientifically, it extends the direct absorption nanoparticles into a phase change domain, and practically it could promote the emergence of a new generation of solar collector. A systematic program is proposed in this project to address the challenges associated with the novel concept, which extends from suitable direct absorption nanofluid formulation, understanding the role of nanoparticles in the evaporation and condensation process, to its performance in ossillating heat pipes. The project is an ambitious, highly novel piece of work ideally suited to a Fellow with a strong background in solar energy and thermal science and engineering. The Fellow in question, Dr Lizhan Bai is perfectly (perhaps uniquely) suited to drive this project to success as he has independently designed, constructed and experimented with a number of challenging flow and heat transfer devices, especially heat pipe systems, and has outstanding analytical and mathematical modelling capability, which will contribute uniquely to the project. It will allow significant knowledge transfer into Europe, especially heat pipe systems, and create potentials long term collaborations and mutually beneficial co-operation between Europe and China.

The current proposal ChiralMOF has the aim to develop rationally designed novel nanoporous materials for the separation of enantiomers. The separation of enantiomers is of great importance to industry in the domain of medicine. New treatments often rely on medication consisting of pure enantiomers. Enantiomers separation is extremely challenging as the molecules are nearly identical (shape and properties) and is achieved at great cost by relying on expensive, time consuming and complex processes. Separation through adsorption using chiral stationary phases is a viable alternative to the current technology. It is the aim of the project to develop novel porous materials that allow for fast, efficient and inexpensive separation of enantiomers. In the past decade, a new class of porous materials was developed: metal-organic frameworks. This new class of materials can be rationally designed, exhibits highly specific properties and may be economically viable and a stable alternative to classical stationary phases. Surprisingly, very little attention has been devoted to the design of homochiral metal-organic frameworks for enantiomer separation. The chiral structure of these metal-organic frameworks favours the interaction with one specific enantiomer. The preferential interaction, adsorption, is the basis for an efficient chromatographic purification process. A combination of theoretical and experimental work is proposed. Advanced molecular simulations allow for the rational design of novel structures and prediction of the adsorption, separation potential of these nanoporous materials. Computational screening of hypothetical structures is a fast and efficient tool to identify high potential structures. A selected set of promising structures will be synthesized, characterized and validated using state of the art equipment. The validated structures shall be put to a test to assess their potential as stationary phases and stability in industrially realistic conditions.

The aim of MultiGRAPHCHEM is to undertake an extensive scientific program on the synthesis and characterization of a broad range of Multifunctional Graphene Systems. The multifunctionality will arise from the combination of -and the interplay between- the outstanding Graphene properties with those arising from the functionalization, which will be magnetic, optical, electrochemical and/or catalytic.

The growth of classical computational power supported by continued size reduction is expected to find its limit around 2019, when devices will probe the atomic scale. Fortunately, this limit represents an opportunity as systems are ruled by quantum mechanics that may lead to more efficient computation techniques. Many systems have been proposed as candidates to implement quantum computers: trapped ions or cavity and circuit QED,... However, still none of them has emerged as a definite full-fledged and scalable quantum computer. The shortcomings imposed by classical computation appear to be especially critical when studying quantum mechanical systems, since the computational complexity increases exponentially with the system size. To deal with the intrinsic computational complexity of quantum mechanics, without recurring to quantum computation, Feynmann proposed to use quantum systems, already ruled by quantum laws, as analog quantum simulators. In this project, NanoQuIS (Nanophotonics for Quantum Information and Simulation), the applicant will study the possibilities for quantum information and simulation of one promising emergent platform, namely, atoms interfaced by photonic crystals. First, within a semiclassical framework, dielectric structures in one and two dimensions will be designed in order to trap atoms and induce special interactions between them. Then, it will be explored the different hamiltonians and open dissipative evolutions that can be engineered within these structures, to use them for both quantum information and simulation. Particular emphasis will be made in models with long-range interaction, e.g., quantum chemistry problems, due to their important practical implications. Together with the theoretical effort, the proposal aims at creating close collaborations with experimentalists in order to implement the first realizations of the proposed structures.

There is now overwhelming evidence that glycosylation changes during the development and progression of various malignancies. Altered glycosylation has been implicated in cancer, immune deficiencies, neurodegenerative diseases, hereditary disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Currently, antibodies are playing a central role in enabling the detection of glycoprotein biomarkers using a variety of immunodiagnostic tests. Nonetheless, antibodies do have their own set of drawbacks that limit the commercialization of antibody sensing technology. They suffer from poor stability, need special handling and require a complicated, costly production procedure. More importantly, they lack specificity because they bind only to a small site on the biomarker and are not able to discriminate, for instance, among different glycosylated proteins. The current antibody diagnostic technology has well recognized limitations regarding their accuracy and timeliness of diagnose of disease. This project will focus on research into the means of developing a generic, robust, reliable and cost-effective alternative to monoclonal antibody technology. The project aims to exploit concepts and tools from nanochemistry, supramolecular chemistry and molecular imprinting to provide highly innovative synthetic recognition platforms with high sensitivity and specificity for glycoproteins. Such novel type of platforms will make a profound and significant impact in the broad fields of biosensors and protein separation devices with applications in many areas such as biomedical diagnostics, pharmaceutical industry, defense and environmental monitoring. The proposed technology may open an untraveled path in the successful diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of therapeutic treatment for major diseases such as cancer, immune deficiencies, neurodegenerative diseases, hereditary disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

This project, entitled ‘Metal-Piezoelectric-Insulator-Semiconductor Field-Effect-Transistor’ (MPIS-FET), will fabricate a metal-piezoelectric-insulator-semiconductor field-effect-transistor device for pressure sensing, in order to perform high-sensitivity strain detection (gauge factor>100) under harsh conditions (high temperature>500oC). High-temperature pressure sensors are of extreme importance for automotive, aerospace, aircraft, power generation industry, and scientific instruments. The current pressure sensors suffer from various drawbacks such as poor thermal stability, low sensitivity, poor chemical inertness, high complexity in readout circuit, and high cost.

A novel light trapping approach will be developed to enhance the absorption of thin film silicon (Si) solar cells using periodic arrangements of resonant dielectric micro-particles (DMPs) with dimensions on the other of the illuminating wavelengths. The main goal is to construct prototype cells that show enhanced sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency due to the action of DMP arrays incorporated on their transparent top contact. The strategy investigated here deals with advanced optical concepts that allow the manipulation and concentration of light in ways that can greatly surpass conventional geometrical optics or sub-wavelength plasmonics, by employing wavelength-sized dielectric scatterers. Therefore, the results of this work should not only broaden the understanding of the scientific community in the field of physical optics, but also foster the interest of the photovoltaics community towards light trapping with DMPs, a topic that is currently still under germination. The project will involve computational and experimental work executed in parallel in the Portuguese host institution CENIMAT-I3N, a world-renowned nanotechnology center in the area of functional materials. The computational studies will be performed using a finite-elements-method software (COMSOL) to optimize the physical parameters of the DMPs that allow maximum photocurrent enhancement in the Si cell material. The DMP structures will be then fabricated in laboratory using colloidal self-assembly combined with lithographic processes, and implemented in solar cells grown by plasmon-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The work will be performed in close collaboration with the Italian institute IMM-CNR, a top microelectronics center where the candidate is currently working as a Marie Curie ITN Experienced Researcher. Therefore, the project shall nourish a new partnership between CENIMAT and IMM which is likely to be extended to other research and industrial partners in the European Union.

This project aims to develop a Theranostic Nanosystem allowing selective co-delivery of therapeutic agents with distinct physical chemical properties to target diseased cells in vivo. Besides good on-shelf and in vivo stability and low toxicity, the system must enable ratiometric control of cargo loading, avoid premature release of transported agents, allow controlled drug release at targeted locations, and its real-time, non-invasive, monitorization in vivo. Although adaptable to other applications, the system here will transport two chemotherapeutic drugs (Doxorubicin and Cisplatin), one RNA (antagomir-10b) and one peptide (H5WYG), coated with PEG-folate conjugate to confer both stealthness and cell specific tropism to the whole. The nanosystem will be fabricated, characterized in vitro and optimized, and the function of each component will be examined in cultured murine Metastatic Breast Cancer 4T1 cells. The latter forms highly aggressive metastatic tumors in immune competent BALB/c mice that recapitulate the human disease. 4T1 overexpresses folate receptor, which will interact with the system and induce its internalization through the endosomal pathway. These cells are sensitive to doxorubicin and cisplatin, and their metastatic character is inhibited by antagomir-10b. Whilst chemotherapeutic drugs escape the endosome by simple diffusion, escape of antagomir-10b from will be facilitated by an endosomolytic peptide co-transported by the system. Acidification of the endosome will trigger drug release and endosomo-lysis. The correct functioning of the system should inhibit metastatic spreading of 4T1 cells in mice and kill primary and secondary tumors, offering an ideal model to optimize performance. A Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide core will allow in vivo monitorization of distribution and therapeutic response using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This methodology will pave the way for additional strategies that could be applied to other cancer types.

The GOMBS project prepares the commercialization of ultrasensitive point-of-care biosensors for early-stage detection of life-threatening diseases, based on the largest MR effect ever observed at room temperature and small magnetic fields, recently discovered by the PI [Science 341, 257 (2013)]. Target biomolecules are specifically attached to the sensor and magnetic nanoparticle (NP) labels, and electrically detected using this huge MR effect (patent in preparation). We will develop sensors for disease markers such as prostate-specific antigen (prostate cancer), troponin (heart muscle damage) and hypermethylated DNA (several cancers). The PI will make use of his long-standing, fruitful collaborations with organic chemists on magnetic NP synthesis and assembly, and functional organic monolayers. As the most competitive advantages of our sensor technology we identify (1) high selectivity, sensitivity and speed (2) very simple, scalable device concept, (3) robustness against environmental fluctuations (e.g. temperature-, pH-independent), (4) small size (allowing implementation in a bioassay device for multiple target molecules), and (5) low cost price. Recognizing commercial potential and a clear market need, the GOMBS team is highly motivated to start up a new venture for exploitation of the proposed biosensor. We will develop the optimal business strategy with an experienced business executive. We will collect market insights for calculating the feasibility, and for setting up a strategic mode of action. In collaboration with a patent attorney a strategy will be defined that secures IP protection. GOMBS will deliver a technical proof of concept and a comprehensive business plan including presentation of the product and concept, the team, business and IP strategy, business model, market size and dynamics, technical and operational planning, a SWOT analysis, investment need, and financial forecasts. This plan will form the basis for the launch of a spin-off company.

This proposal targets the development of self-assembling nanoscale systems to bind heparin. Heparin is widely used as an anti-coagulant during major surgery, but once surgery is complete, it is necessary to remove the heparin and allow clotting to begin. The current therapy is protamine, a protein extracted from shellfish which acts as a powerful heparin binder, but unfortunately, causes allergic response and other problems in significant numbers of patients (ca. 10%). We are therefore targeting the development of novel synthetic nanoscale protamine replacements which may avoid some of these difficulties. Our unique strategy is to develop small molecules which self-assemble into nanoscale heparin binders. This has the advantage of being highly tunable and uses low molecular-weight (drug-like) building blocks -allowing structure-activity relationship understanding of the binding event to emerge. The self-assembled structures will be optimised in terms of their charge density, morphology, display of functional groups and ability to degrade, to maximise heparin binding and surgical potential. This project will provide fundamental insight into the requirements of an effective heparin binder. Our optimised systems will be tested in clotting and toxicity assays, and may have longer-term applications in a medical setting.