RSC Applied Interfaces publishes interdisciplinary work with an applied focus, which can be read for free here. To celebrate the excellent articles that have been published so far in our journal, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
In this post, we hear from Marcella Salvatore, Francesco Reda, Fabio Borbone and Stefano Luigi Oscurato at University of Naples Federico II, as they discuss their recently published communication article entitled ‘Multilevel azopolymer patterning from digital holographic lithography‘.
RSC Applied Interfaces publishes interdisciplinary work with an applied focus, which can be read for free here. To celebrate the excellent articles that have been published so far in our journal, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
I am a PhD researcher in physics at the University of Liège (ULiège), working under the supervision of Prof. Nguyen, head of the SPIN (Solid State Physics, Interfaces and Nanostructrures) research group. Our research focuses on the physics of materials for energy applications. This highlighted work has been performed within the framework of the INSTEAD project. This collaborative effort is funded by the European M.ERA-NET program and brings together with ULiège a consortium of four partners contributing with their expertise to the development of new materials for smart windows : LMGP Grenoble INP, Université de Grenoble Alpes (Prof. D. Bellet); ICMCB, Université de Bordeaux, (Dr. A. Rougier); Middle East Technical University in Turkey, (Prof. H. Emrah Ünalan).
About the INSTEAD Project
The INSTEAD project aims to develop innovative coatings with advanced functionalities, particularly through the use of heterostructures that combine different materials, including chromogenic compounds. These materials have the potential to dynamically regulate their properties in response to environmental changes, making them highly promising for energy-efficient applications such as smart windows. Additionally, this project explores the incorporation of silver nanowire networks into these complex material stacks, utilizing them as transparent electrodes for electrochromic materials. In the discussed paper, we also investigate their potential as low-emissivity coatings for thermochromic stacks, highlighting their multifunctional role in enhancing the performance of thermochromic stacks for window panes. Our work within this project is part of a broader, coordinated effort to understand and optimize these materials through theoretical and experimental approaches.
What Excites Me About This Research
Working in the field of energy materials is incredibly rewarding, as it allows me to contribute—however modestly—to addressing pressing global challenges. I find great satisfaction in working on abstract physical concepts that have tangible real-world applications. From a scientific perspective, one of the most exciting aspects of this work is the ability to explore complex physical interactions within heterostructure coatings, shaped by both material composition and morphological features. One of the central challenges in our field lies in reconciling two typically opposing properties: electrical conductivity and optical transparency. This trade-off is clearly illustrated by the contrasting behavior of metals, which are excellent conductors but optically opaque, and dielectrics, which are often transparent but insulating. Our research leverages computational modeling to gain deeper insights into these interactions, providing a cost-effective means of understanding their behavior at a fundamental level and paving the way for material-efficient application designs. The coupling of multiple physical phenomena within these materials also opens up fascinating discussions and challenges, making the research both stimulating and impactful.
The Challenges We Face
One of the most challenging aspects of this work lies in interpreting and comparing simulation results with experimental data and existing literature. Ensuring that our models accurately capture the intricate behaviors of these materials requires a careful balance of theoretical insight and empirical validation. Overcoming these challenges is an integral part of the scientist’s work, pushing us to refine our approaches and deepen our understanding of the physical mechanisms at play. Of course, these challenges are not just obstacles but the very essence of scientific research—they fuel our curiosity, drive our passion, and push us to expand, even marginally, the boundaries of human knowledge.
What’s Next?
As part of my ongoing PhD research, I will continue exploring additional physical mechanisms within these materials, with a particular focus on their thermal emissivity properties, a subset of phenomena related to the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiations. This aligns with the perspectives outlined in our recent publication, where we discuss strategies for optimizing the balance between optical transparency and electrical conductivity. After completing my PhD, I intend to continue conducting research and will therefore be looking for postdoctoral opportunities to further develop my expertise in this area.
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Professor Ryan Richards (Colorado School of Mines & NREL, USA) Associate Editor for RSC Applied Interfaces is delighted to share with you some of his top research highlights published in the journal so far.
Matthew E. Potter, Evangeline B. McShane, Nienke L. Visser, Johannes D. Meeldijk, Lisa J. Allen, Stephen M. King, Marina Carravetta, Petra E. de Jongh, Bart D. Vandegehuchte and Robert Raja
Chuanmu Tian, Clément Maheu, Xiaochun Huang, Freddy E. Oropeza, Márton Major, Joachim Brötz, Marcus Einert, Wolfgang Donner, Kelvin Hongliang Zhang and Jan P. Hofmann
Xiaolong Liu, Guangying Fu, Qiaolin Lang, Ruiqin Ding, Qiangsheng Guo, Ke Liang, Shuman Gao, Xiaobo Yang and Bing Yu
Ryan also shared a video earlier this year discussing a paper by Liyong Ding and Juncheng Hu et al on the construction of a hierarchical heterojunction for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution:
Find out more about Ryan Richards
Ryan M. Richards is a Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science at the Colorado School of Mines (Mines) and holds a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) both in Golden, Colorado USA. Additionally, Prof. Richards is the Mines lead for the Mines/NREL Nexus which coordinates, facilitates and promotes all joint activities and appointments. Prof. Richards received his BS from Michigan State University, MS from Central Michigan University and PhD from Kansas State University. During his PhD studies, he was a visiting scientist at the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis in Novosibirsk, Russia. From 2000-2002 he was a Max Planck Fellow at the Max Planck Institute für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim, Germany. In 2002 Ryan joined the International University of Bremen (now Constructor University) then joined Mines in 2007. Prof. Richards has received numerous awards throughout his career including being selected as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Mines Faculty Senate Distinguished Lecturer, ACS Nanoscience Chair and ACS International Affairs Committee (ACS liaison to Nigeria and South Africa). Prof. Richards was accepted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in November 2023.
Research in the Richards group is focused on new synthetic methods to control the size, shape and composition of nanoscale materials and apply them in systems integral to alternative energy technologies, pharmaceuticals, biomass upgrading, batteries, and environmental remediation.
Discover some of Ryan’s research published in RSC journals:
Professor Jianbin Huang (Peking University, China) Associate Editor for RSC Applied Interfaces is delighted to share with you some of his top research highlights published in the journal so far.
Christian Fischer, Florian Born and Andreas Terfort
Jianbin also shared a video earlier this year discussing a paper by Yaxun Fan and Yilin Wang et al. on surfactant mixed systems:
Find out more about Jianbin Huang
Jianbin Huang is a Professor and Chief of surfactant and colloid research and development at Peking University. He is interested in the physical chemistry of surfactants, especially in mixed surfactant systems. His group mainly focuses on molecular organized assemblies in aqueous solutions, such as vesicles or micelles, and the formation, molecular structures and phase behaviours of amphiphilic systems. Professor Huang has published over 180 articles in international and Chinese academic journals.
Discover some of Jianbin’s research published in RSC journals:
RSC Applied Interfaces publishes interdisciplinary work with an applied focus, which can be read for free here. To celebrate the excellent articles that have been published so far in our journal, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
RSC Applied Interfaces publishes interdisciplinary work with an applied focus, which can be read for free here. To celebrate the excellent articles that have been published so far in our journal, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
RSC Applied Interfaces publishes interdisciplinary work with an applied focus, which can be read for free here. To celebrate the excellent articles that have been published so far in our journal, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
RSC Applied Interfaces has published its first articles which can be read for free here. To celebrate publishing our first articles, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
This article highlights a simple method for improving the stability of a platinum electrocatalyst with nanoscale surface features. Nanoscale thin coatings of niobium oxide on platinum preserved the electrochemically active surface area while enabling access to the catalyst surface.
Annabelle Hadley is a PhD candidate in the Chemistry Department at Simon Fraser University. She received her B.Sc. from Mount Allison University in NB, Canada. Ever since she had the opportunity to conduct research as an undergraduate student, she has been interested in molecular-scale interactions at interfaces, including the interface between nanomaterials and nanomaterials and their surrounding environment. She has most recently extended this interest to the development of nanostructures with applications in electrocatalysis.
Sakshi Gautam obtained her PhD under the supervision of Professor Byron Gates in the Department of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University. Following her doctoral studies, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the United States. She holds a Scientist position at Chakr Innovation in Gurugram, India. Her research focuses on nanomaterials fabrication, electrodeposition, material chemistry, and electrochemistry with applications in fuel cells, electrolyzers, and metal-air batteries.
Byron Gates is a Professor of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University (SFU). He obtained his B.Sc. from Western Washington University, studying high-temperature catalysts with Prof. Mark Bussell. He studied under Prof. Younan Xia at the University of Washington for his Ph.D. in developing synthetic methods for nanomaterials and creating materials through self-assembly techniques. He also studied under Prof. George Whitesides at Harvard as a postdoctoral fellow to pursue the limits of soft lithography, patterning of electrets, and creation of nanolithography techniques. Prof. Gates has held a Canada Research Chair in Surface Chemistry and received the Faculty of Science Excellence in Teaching Award at SFU, where his research interests lie at the intersection of materials chemistry, surface science, and analytical science, which he utilizes to create, study, and apply advanced nanomaterials to applications in chemical transformations, chemical sensing, photonics, energy storage, and energy conversion.
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RSC Applied Interfaces has published its first articles which can be read for free here. To celebrate publishing our first articles, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
Lori Leblond is an M.Sc. student in Materials and Metallurgy Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Gaétan Laroche (Laval University, QC, Canada) and Dr. Philippe Bébin (COALIA, Research Center of Mineralogy and Plastics Processing of the College of Thetford Mines, QC, Canada). She has also been a project manager in advanced materials chemistry at COALIA since July 2024. She received her B.Sc. degree in chemistry from Laval University in 2023. During her college and university studies, she worked on the Industrial Research Chair for Advanced Materials (NSERC). Due to the context of COVID-19, during her B.Sc., she was involved in developing highly effective antiviral polymeric coatings and investigating the annihilation mechanism of virucidal polymers. Her research interests are related to functional coatings, nanomaterials and nanocomposites, hybrids materials, surface and interface chemistry for energy, packaging, construction and biomaterials applications.
Pascal Vuillaume received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from Laval University, QC, Canada, in 1996 and 2000, respectively. His research focused on the solid-state characterization of zwitterionomers and ionic liquid crystal polymers. As a Research Associate at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, he investigated the structure of self-assembled polycation-clay ultrathin films. Then, as Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Montreal, he developed new polycations for gene transfection. He has been working for several years at the National Research Council of Canada investigating both the synthesis of fully fluorinated rigid polymers devoted for optical waveguide devices and the characterization of hybrid protogenic membranes for fuel cell applications. He worked for more than 10 years as a Research Director at COALIA the Research Center of Mineralogy and Plastics Processing of the College of Thetford Mines, QC, Canada. His research interests are related to biobased and biodegradable polymers and their blends, new materials for additive manufacturing and bioactive surfaces. He is currently holding the position of research and development expert advisor, still within COALIA.
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RSC Applied Interfaces has published its first articles which can be read for free here. To celebrate publishing our first articles, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.
Kauê Santos completed his undergraduate Bachelor’s in Physics and his Master’s degree in Physics at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in 2020 and 2023, respectively. During this period, he investigated the dissociation of CO2 molecules through the RWGS reaction. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Physics, also at UFRGS. Now, his focus remains on environmental issues, but this time dedicated to hydrogen storage in solid materials.
Fabiano Bernardi
Fabiano Bernardi is Associate Professor and Head of the Physics of Nanostructures Lab at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). He was Director of the Centro de Nanociência e Nanotecnologia (CNANO), and is currently Deputy Director of the CNANO and Centro de Microscopia e Microanálise (CMM) at UFRGS. He earned his PhD in Physics at UFRGS. The main research line is Surface and Interface Physics and it is devoted to study metal/metal oxide nanoparticles used in the hydrogen storage, heterogeneous catalysis (mainly but not restricted to CO2 dissociation), photocatalytic hydrogen production, artificial photosynthesis, and photodegradation of dyes.
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Electrophoretically deposited artificial cathode electrolyte interphase for improved performance of NMC622 at high voltage operation
Niobium oxide coatings on nanostructured platinum electrocatalysts: benefits and limitations
Polypropylene fabric coated with branched polyethyleneimine derivatives for high antiviral activity
Engineering Pt–CeO2 interfaces for reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction
