The group of ‘Materials for energy photonics and catalysis’ (ENPHOCAMAT) focuses its activity on the search for advanced materials through the production, treatment, structural and compositional characterization, physico-chemical functionality, photonic characterization of materials in general and nanometric structures. All these activities are aimed at applications in catalysis, photonics, and energy, as well as the training and dissemination of knowledge. The group was not funded in the past SGR program despite the ambitious goals it proposed and now achieved as shown in this report. We hope that in a future edition of the SGR program, our group can be financed in the new scientific program that the Generalitat de Catalunya will propose. During the present period 2017-2021, the group has taken advantage of the infrastructure it already had for the production of materials using vapor phase technologies (CVD and PVD), mechanical, chemical, electrochemical and laser treatment for the production of nanostructures and their functionalization and has also sought and obtained new sources of financing of its activity in other state and European institutions. The group has broadly covered all the planned objectives. The group consists of a team of more than 15 permanent researchers, 6 postdoc and 7 predoctoral students, who are experts in structural and compositional characterization, optics and photonics and in surface and analysis techniques, to carry out the study of the properties of materials and nanomaterials in order to its applications.
The UNESCO Codes of ENPHOCAMAT are: 331200 – Materials technology / 330301 – Catalysis technology / 531205 – Energy (see 3322), and their Keywords: 035084 – Photonics / 028723 – Catalysis / 025000 – Ellipsometry / 025251 – Nanomaterials / 251257 – Energy storage. The Thematic Area: 3000 – Sciences.
Enric Bertran Serra (Full Professor) ebertran(at)ub.edu
José Luis Andújar Bella (Associate Professor)
Franc Güell Vilà (Associate Professor)
Roger Amade Rovira (Associate Professor) r.amade(at)ub.edu
Stefanos Chaitoglou (Postdoctoral Researcher Beatriu de Pinós)
Islam Alshaikh (Collaborator)
Jordi Díaz Marcos (Collaborator)
Insights into the inherent properties of vertical graphene flakes towards hydrogen evolution reaction. Chaitoglou S., Amade R., Bertran E. Applied Surface Science, 592, 153327, 2022.
Spectrally modulated polarimetry with wavelength domain analysis. Bendada H., Bakhouche B., González-Siu L.O., Bruce N.C., Arteaga O. Applied Optics, 61, 19, 5608, 2022.
Characterization of amorphous carbon films from 5 nm to 200 nm on single-side polished a-plane sapphire substrates by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Li Z., Cui C., Zhou X., Bian S., Arteaga O., Xu X. Frontiers in Physics, 10, 968101, 2022.
Model for the depolarizing retarder in Mueller matrix polarimetry. Ossikovski R., Arteaga O., Garcia-Caurel E., Hingerl K. Journal of the Optical Society of America A: Optics and Image Science, and Vision, 39, 5, 873, 2022
Three-dimensional Si / vertically oriented graphene nanowalls composite for supercapacitor applications. Hussain S., Amade R., Boyd A., Musheghyan-Avetisyan A., Alshaikh I., Martí-Gonzalez , J., Pascual E., Meenan B.J., Bertran-Serra E. Ceramics International. 2021, 47, 15
Enhanced capacitance of manganese oxide driven by hierarchically structured carbon nanotube-carbon nanowall composite. Amade R., Alshaikh I., Musheghyan-Avetisyan A., Bertran-Serra E. Surface and Coatings Technology. 2021, 428, 127885
Optimal elliptical retarder in rotating compensator imaging polarimetry. Gottlieb D., Arteaga O. Optics Letters, 46, 13 (2021)
Mueller matrix ellipsometer based on discrete-angle rotating Fresnel rhomb compensators. Bian S., Cui C., Arteaga O. Applied Optics. 2021, 60, 16
Three-dimensional Si / vertically oriented graphene nanowalls composite for supercapacitor applications. Hussain S., Amade R., Boyd A., Musheghyan-Avetisyan A., Alshaikh I., Martí-Gonzalez J., Pascual E., J. Meenan B., Bertran-Serra. E. Ceramics International. Vol 47, Issue 15, August 2021, 21751-21758.
Homogeneous Fe2O3 coatings on carbon nanotube structures for supercapacitors. Yu P., Coll M., Amade R., Alshaikh I., Pantoja-Suárez F., Pascual E., Andújar J.L., Serra E.B. Dalton Transactions. 2020, 49(13)
Photoluminescence from carbon structures grown by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition. Musheghyan-Avetisyan A., Güell F., Martínez-Alanis P.R., Amade R., Martí-González J., Bertran-Serra E. Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces and Films. 2020, 38(2), 023405
Super-Capacitive Performance of Manganese Dioxide/Graphene Nano-Walls Electrodes Deposited on Stainless Steel Current Collectors. R. Amade, A. Muyshegyan-Avetisyan, J. Marti-Gonzalez, .A Perez del Pino, E. Gyorgy, E. Pascual, JL. Andujar, E. Bertran-Serra. Materials, 12(2020)483
European projects:
– “Zinc Oxide Nanostructures for Advanced Multifunctional Devices”, UB-04-2019, IP: F.Güell
– “Textile Competence Center Vorarlberg 2, TCCV2”, FFG 882502, COMET-Competence Centers Excellent Technologies (COMET PROJECTS) , FFGAT – The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), 2021-2025, IPs: E.Bertran and R.Amade
National projects:
– “Síntesis de CNS (VACNTs y GNWs) en cintas metálicas flexibles y estudio de sus propiedades electroquímicas tras la funcionalización con materiales compuestos de óxido metálico, ADHES”, ENE2017-89210-C2-2-R, Programa Nacional de Energía, 2017-2020, IPs: E.Bertran and E.Pascual.
– “Electrodos híbridos para almacenamiento de energía avanzado: hacia un futuro sostenible, ESTORE”, PID2020-116612RB-C32; Programa Nacional de Energía, 2021-2024, IPs: E.Bertran and R.Amade.
– “Un nuevo método para la detección quiro-óptica basado en la doble refracción circular de la luz”, polarimetry”, RTI2018-098410-J-I00; Programa Nacional de Física, 2019-2022, IP: O.Arteaga
– Catalysis laboratory: http://www.qi.ub.es/matcat/eng%20laboratori.htm
– Spectral and Generalized Ellipsometer (UV-VIS)
– Mueller Matrix Polarimeter
– PECVD-PVD CNTs reactor
– ICP-CVD Graphene reactor
– Thermal evaporator
– Sputtering Magnetron (3”)
– Langmuir-Blodgett
– Ion beam gun (etching and surface treatment)
– Nanotribometer
– Goniometer (contact angle)
– Electrical Transport measurements
– Electrochemical characterization (voltammetry & amperometry)
– Impedance Spectroscopy
The group maintains relations of scientific collaboration and exchange of students and researchers in more than 30 Universities and Research Centers around the world, among which we highlight the following:
• Hong Kong City University
• TUG, Graz
• University of Ulster
• KIT, Karlsruhe
• University of Innsbruck
• NIMP, Bucharest
• Ecole Polytechnique de Palaiseau
• CICESE, Ensenada
• CEMES, Toulouse
• ETH, Zurich
• Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”