Driven by concerns regarding global warming, air quality and human health, there is a clear trend toward increased sales of light-duty diesel vehicles in many parts of the world. This trend can result in many positive environmental benefits including low fuel consumption, and therefore low levels of CO2, CO, HC and volatile hydrocarbons. However, increased diesel sales have a downside, relatively high NOx and particulate emissions. As a result, countries around the world are increasingly tightening diesel regulations with the result that engine and reducing emissions technologies continues to advance, and reformulated diesel fuels continue to appear. In this context, the overall objective of this research project is to characterise physically and chemically particulate matter (PM) emissions from light-duty diesel vehicles and engines. The research pretends to assist in the setting of future regulation limits on PM emissions for this type of vehicles, addressing last generation diesel engines (direct injection), advanced particle emission reduction technologies (diesel particle filters) and novel diesel fuels (biodiesel). For that purpose, a new system for PM sampling and measurement will be developed and assessed in order to allow for accurate, repeatable and reproducible measurements of particles in the exhaust of diesel vehicles, mostly in the ultrafine and nanometer range, at the low emission levels from the technologies anticipated for the future market and at the stringency levels expected in future legislations. The project will be carried out in the vehicle and engine emissions laboratory (VELA) at the Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the EU in Ispra (Italy). VELA has facilities to test emissions from engines and vehicles of all sizes, including a double dilution tunnel for measuring particles and gaseous ultra-low emissions (ULEV).

The CarbonCROFs proposal is directed at the rational design and development of novel open-frameworks solids including metal organic-, zeolitic imidazolate- and covalent organic-frameworks well as their smart combination with carbon nanostructures (carbon nanotubes and graphene) towards advanced, multifunctional hybrid nanoporous materials. The combination of the unique and diverse physical and chemical properties of carbon nanostructures such as high surface area, increased chemical and mechanical stability in conjunction with the remarkable properties of final open framework nanoporous composites, is strongly expected to deliver tailor made, hybrid, composite materials showing a very promising potential to serve clean energy (such as hydrogen and fuel cell) technologies. In this respect, the CarbonCROFs project is aiming at the development of composite nanoporous materials featuring:

The project investigates the development of original methods and algorithms for the dimensional and geometric verification of products and/or surface features defined at micro and nanometric scales. The idea is to overcome the current limitations of SEM imaging (only qualitative information) and micro/nano CMMs (slow, difficult to use) through an unconventional use of measurement data produced by advanced 3D profilometers and microscopes, which are being currently adopted in surface metrology for areal surface texture assessment.

Silicene, the silicon analogue for graphene, has recently been discovered. It retains many of the interesting phenomena of graphene (2D geometry, strength, durability, the Dirac cone at the Fermi level), however it displays a significant buckling out of plane relating to the preference of silicon to form sp3, rather than sp2, hybridised bonds. This buckling is predicted to allow greater control over the electronic properties of silicene than has been traditionally been found in graphene, with silicene predicted to have a quantum spin Hall-effect and applications in valleytronics. Additionally, the use of silicon, rather than carbon, will allow silicene devices to be more readily integrated into current electronic technology.

The CMOS industry relies on the capabilities of engineers to control atomic positions at sub-nm scale across several interfaces. The formation of abrupt interfaces is heavily dependent on the thermal budget during their formation and of any other subsequent thermal treatments during device fabrication. As device dimensions decrease, the thicknesses of all junctions and interfaces must be reduced so that they do not become the major fractional volume of the whole device. In that framework, ultra fast annealing is becoming a key technology to enable the fabrication of nano scaled devices.

The recent advances in molecular conduction and nanoscale fabrication of electrodes has led to a newavenue of physics research into conduction through low-dimensional systems. There is currently a basiclack of understanding of the microscopic physical mechanisms that control conduction through suchsystems. Studies of microscopic charge-conduction processes in low-dimensional systems are relevantto hi-tech device technologies that rely both on organic and inorganic semiconductors, as the reductionin commercial device dimensions continues. This is equally true of the magnetic media industry, whichis interested in the manipulation of magnetic moments at the extreme limit of magnet size reduction: asingle magnetic cluster.We propose to study transport through low-dimensional systems at the nanometer length scale. Firstly,we wish to study the quantum aspects of the charge-density wave (CDW) conduction mode in quasi-one-dimensional systems at the length scale approaching the amplitude-amplitude coherence length inthese systems (about lOnm), in charge-density wave conductors NbSes and TaSa. This includestunneling of the CDW quasiparticle excitations across weak links and barriers, and Coulomb Blockademeasurements on CDW dots. Secondly, we will study the magnetic and electrical transport propertiesof molecular magnetic quantum dots. This innovatively combines two major areas of recent research:spintronics and conduction through single organic molecules.Our background and expertise in CDW physics will enable a unique perspective on the understandingof conduction in single molecule devices.

The proposed project aims to develop engineered biodegradable conducting 3D scaffolds capable of promoting neuronal survival, as well as axon extension and guidance, for treating peripheral nerve lesions. Current approaches focus on the sensitivity of neurons to the surrounding environment, which includes surface topography, biochemical cues, and electrical activity. Constructs implanted in vivo are also subject to mechanical constrains that have an impact on tissue formation. This project aims to investigate the influence of these mechanical stimulations on scaffolds and neuronal cells proliferation. Moreover, the mechanical constrains applied on engineered tissues inside the body will be evaluated with flexible biodegradable strain sensors developed for this purpose. Finally, scaffolds with various geometries designed to absorb the vibrations will be fabricated and evaluated. This project proposes an additional strategy that can be combined to other therapies to improve nerve regeneration. The first part of the project will be performed at Stanford University, USA, in the group of Organic and Carbon Nano Materials for Electronic Devices led by Prof. Z. Bao. Main tasks: literature search, produce the scaffolds, implement a measurement setup allowing mechanical stimulations of scaffolds in liquid, perform an in vitro degradation study on scaffolds, develop mechanical models, develop and characterize a biodegradable strain sensor. The second part of the project will be performed at EPFL, Switzerland, in the Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces led by Prof. S. Lacour. main tasks: Implement a mechanical stimulation setup in liquid based on existing setup in the lab, produce scaffolds, perform an in vitro study on scaffolds with neuronal cells and mechanical stimulation, perform an in vitro study on the strain sensor to verify its biocompatibility, design, fabricate, and assess the in vivo performances of scaffolds with new geometries.

One-atom thin two-dimensional nanomaterials possess unique properties different from their bulk counterparts. Initiated by the discovery of graphene, many stable one atom-thick layers such as boron nitride, molybdenum disulphide, tungsten disulphide etc., have been isolated and characterized. However, the individual properties of such 2D-atomic crystals (except graphene) were modest. The combination of isolated single atomic layers into designer structures, named as 2D-heterostrcutures, is predicted to give synergetic properties. In order to harness the interesting properties the combination of various 2D-atomic crystals have to offer, a method to assemble them in a simple and scalable way is required. Currently, the only method known is manual placing of the 2D-atomic crystal layers sequentially which limits the scope of the study of such structures. The objective of the proposal is to assemble layered (each layer is one atom thick) stacks of graphene superlattices and heterostructures with other 2D-atomic crystals such as BN, MoS2, WS2 etc., by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-mediated assembly. DNA mediated assembly is highly programmable by chemically specific interaction between nucleotides, length of the DNA, strength of the interactions in addition to the symmetry control of the assembled structures. Top-down lithography will be combined with bottom-up DNA assembly to fabricate seed layers of DNA for the guided assembly which lead to patterned heterostructures. This approach is targeted toward combinatorial screening of exotic properties of varied architectures of heterostructures with control over the composition of 2D-atomic crystals and spacing between the layers (controlled by DNA). The anticipated structures would be vertical atomic scale Legos of 2D-atomic crystal layers with DNA spacers.

The first representatives of the third domain of life, Archaea, were isolated from particularly harsh environments. Long it was thought that all archaea are 'extremophiles', but recently archaea were discovered in many temperate habitats, including the human gut, sea and soil, where they perform key roles in biochemical cycles. Archaea are the least explored domain of life and little is known about the mechanisms underlying motility and adhesion. Understanding these processes is especially timely since the widespread occurrence of archaeal species in environments including the human body is becoming more and more apparent. Archaeal motility has initially been studied using a thermophilic model organism, which has revealed that the structure responsible for swimming behavior of archaea is the 'archaellum'. The archaellum has structural homology with bacterial type IV pili, which are at the basis of the pathogenicity of many Gram negative bacteria. However, the archaellum is rotating and thereby functionally resembles the bacterial flagellum. Taking advantage of this initial expertise and knowledge on archaeal motility available in the host laboratory, this project aims to focus on the mesophilic euryarchaeal model: Haloferax volcanii. This model is very appealing to study the molecular mechanism underlying motility, because genes encoding the archaellum components are linked with those of the bacterial chemotaxis pathway in haloarchaea. In addition, this model is one of the few genetically tractable archaeal systems that allows for advanced engineering, offering the unique option to study the mechanism of rotational switching, which influences the cells 'decision' to move or stay. The proposed research is important from both fundamental and medical perspective. In addition it opens the exiting possibility to develop a stable minimal nano-motor for synthetic biology, because the archaellum represents the biological rotating filament with lowest complexity

We here propose a new approach to the formation of Hierarchical Electroactive Hybrids exploiting Biological Motifs, which will provide new strategies and tools for control that will define future bottom-up 3D construction of materials in the field of functional nanomaterials for nanoelectronics. Functional electroactive oligo(aniline)s, combined with guanine hydrogen-bonding units, will be combined with single-stranded DNA block copolymers in rationally designed ways, so that information encoded in the biological materials will control spatial placement and orientation, interactions and level of functionality in three dimensions within the formed complex and hierarchical superstructures. This groundbreaking approach will utilise combinations of DNA block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly, electroactivity and encoded self-assembly, and will open unexplored avenues in the priority areas of nanotechnology, nanoelectronics and advanced materials through its interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach. This proposed research will rely on modern synthetic protocols of organic chemistry, chemicophysical analyses of optoelectronic properties and structure-property interplay, self-assembly in the solid state, device fabrication and testing. It is expected that the outcomes of this proposed research will impact across these disciplines, and contribute knowledge to a high priority area for both society and the research community within the EU and beyond. This fellowship and project will be an important step forward in the research career of Dr. Dasgupta, who has experience and a very strong track record in the synthesis and assembly of functional molecular architectures and supramolecular aggregation. Dr. Dasgupta will therefore be enabled, through this Marie Curie fellowship, to systematically investigate this highly relevant research area that has been left unexplored to date, and thus develop his independent scientific career fully.