I-FIM Key Areas of Applications
Membranes & Coating
Membranes & Coating
Heterostructured Intelligent Membrane
We will functionalise porous materials (2D materials, MOF) via self-assembly or linker chemistry, with stimuli responsive materials (polyelectrolytes) so that the selectivity and the permeability of such membranes can be controlled by externally stimuli (e.g. temperature, pH, light, magnetic field, etc.). This makes the membranes responsive to external conditions and thereby of potential utility in ion extraction or water purification technologies.
Synthetic Living Membranes
We will also attempt to functionalise living cell/bacteria and lyse the cells to obtain the resulting modified membranes, which will then be used to self-assemble with other lipid-derivatives in order to produce cell membrane derivatives that retain the natural intrinsic ion channel and surface proteins, so that biological functions can be transferred to a more complex heterostructured system. Integrating such biological materials in membranes allows taking advantage of fundamental properties of living cells which may not be available in individual chemical elements.
Electronics
Electronics
Materials for beyond-von Neumann computer architecture
Memristors – we will search for materials which exhibit hysteretic behaviour and phase transitions most suitable for memristive applications. Such materials can be designed to possess learning and memory functionalities, and can be applied as base elements in neuromorphic computers.
Image recognition on material level
We will develop our functional materials to be used as basic image recognition devices. For examples, a heterostructure can be designed to be gated by illumination, with the anisotropy in the resistance from the current flow providing information on the projected light pattern.
Energy
Energy
Living heterostructured electroactive composites
Complex, functional, out of-equilibrium composites of smart anionic conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) and exoelectrogenic bacteria have been recently used to harness metabolic pathways and converting chemical energy into electrical power. Expanding on this concept, we aim to develop gels of self-doped conjugated polymers and tailor them through optimisation of CPE chemical structure so that the oxidation potential of the matrix matches the potential of microbial fuel cells, thus making them capable of using wastewater as the chemical energy source. Environmental perturbations will be applied to enhance the stability of the heterostructure, while robotic and Dynamic-AI capabilities will allow combining different bacterial strains.
Cooperative Effects in Catalyst Design
We will use the physical formalism and Dynamic-AI to create composite materials with a number of active sites specifically ordered in space with atomic precision (for instance in van der Waals heterostructures) to act synergistically and timely, creating efficient concurrent tandem catalysts.
Bio & Healthcare
Bio & Healthcare
Target-selective multicomponent coascervates
Polyelectrolytes and analogous 2D systems with ionisable chemical functionalities will be designed so that they are capable of coordinating electrostatic forces and optoelectronic properties with specific targets and thereby detect, and eventually intercept or modify, specific biomarkers and biological systems. Key to the success of the I-FIM approach will be the spontaneous formation of multiplecomponent coacervates in which selectivity and sensitivity are embedded through cooperative effects
Smart antiviral coatings
We will create smart composite nanomaterials, with complex energy landscapes, based in 1D and 2D materials, capable of neutralising Covid-19 and other viruses in tandem with intrinsic sensing capabilities.
