Background

Anthropogenic CO₂ is the main driver of climate change. One promising strategy to mitigate emissions is capturing CO₂ at stationary sources and reacting it with green hydrogen to form methane via the Sabatier reaction. However, the process requires highly active catalysts at low temperatures, with precisely tuned properties at the nanoscale.

Ruthenium-based catalysts are among the most effective, but their performance depends strongly on nanoparticle size, doping, and the chemical interface with the support. NanoCatCO2 applies nanotechnology tools to develop tailor-made supports and Ru nanoparticles to maximize catalytic efficiency and stability.

The project

NanoCatCO2 pursues the following objectives:

• Synthesis of Ru-based catalysts using colloidal methods, flame spray pyrolysis, aerosol processes, and surface organometallic chemistry.
• Design of oxide and mixed oxide supports with tunable texture, structure, and surface chemistry.
• Precise control of Ru nanoparticle size and composition through alloying and doping strategies.
• Advanced characterization and modeling to identify key catalytic parameters.
• Scale-up and validation of the most promising catalysts in a pilot-scale reactor.

The science

The project integrates catalyst synthesis, advanced materials characterization, and molecular modeling:

• Chulalongkorn University (Thailand): Expertise in catalysis, methanation, and process scale-up.
• ETH Zurich (Switzerland): Advanced surface organometallic chemistry, spectroscopy, and computational modeling.
• UCLouvain (Belgium): Catalyst synthesis by sol-gel and aerosol processes, and CO₂ hydrogenation expertise.

Expected outcomes include new nanostructured catalyst formulations, mechanistic understanding of CO₂ methanation, and validated pilot-scale demonstrators for industrial application.

The team

The NanoCatCO2 partners are:

Prof. Piyasan Praserthdam (Coordinator), Chulalongkorn University (CU), Thailand

Prof. Christophe Copéret, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Prof. Damien Debecker, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Piyasan Praserthdam                   Email: piyasan.p@chula.ac.th 

Background

Rechargeable Li–sulfur (Li-S) batteries promise much higher energy density (up to 2570 Wh/kg) compared to Li-ion batteries. However, commercialization is hindered by two main challenges: the insulating nature of sulfur and the shuttle effect caused by dissolved lithium polysulfides, which reduce active material and lead to rapid capacity fading.

Nanostructured materials offer a rational solution. Two-dimensional MXenes (transition metal carbides, nitrides, carbonitrides) and transition metal oxides (TMOs) can be engineered into heterostructures to immobilize LiPSs and catalyze their conversion, enabling both high sulfur loading and reduced shuttle effects. 

The project

ECO-MX pursues the following objectives:

• Construction of MXene-TMO heterostructures with maximally exposed chemisorption sites for LiPSs, enhancing conversion kinetics and sulfur utilization.
• Development of multifunctional electrodes and separators to suppress the shuttle effect and improve electrochemical performance.
• Characterization and mechanism studies using advanced techniques (XRD, XANES, high-resolution microscopy) to evaluate LiPSs kinetics.
• Fabrication and testing of demonstrator Li-S cells (coin and pouch cells) to validate performance improvements in real battery conditions.

The science

The project integrates expertise in materials science, catalysis, and energy storage:

• MXene synthesis and heterostructure design (Empa, Switzerland).
• In-situ characterization of LiPS conversion processes (ENTEC, Thailand).
• Membrane and separator engineering using nanofiber-based ultrathin porous films with MXene-TMO integration (Sabanci University, Turkey).

Final demonstrators will combine all components into coin and pouch cells, tested against reference batteries. The research builds directly on global initiatives in energy storage, including links to Europe’s Battery2030+ program.

The team

The ECO-MX partners are:

Dr. Jakob Heier (Coordinator), Empa – Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Switzerland

Dr. Pimpa Limthongkul, National Energy Technology Center (ENTEC) – NSTDA, Thailand

Prof. Selmiye Alkan Gürsel, Sabanci University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM), Turkey

Contact: 

Dr. Jakob Heier              Email: jakob.heier@empa.ch 

Background

Nanotechnology, the science of construction at nanoscale, has multiple applications in medicine, industry, and ICT. In recent years, peptides have emerged as promising therapeutic molecules for conditions like hypertension, epilepsy, chronic pain, and cancer. However, peptides are prone to enzymatic digestion and can trigger unwanted immune responses.

Nanoparticles can act as carriers to protect peptides, control their release, and improve efficacy. Designing bioactive peptide analogs and peptide–nanoparticle systems offer opportunities to treat diseases more safely and effectively, while also enabling biomedical imaging through fluorescent labeling. This project builds on advances in synthetic chemistry, nanomaterials, and neuropharmacology.

The project

PEP-NANO-DRUG pursues several specific objectives (SOs):

• Synthesis and characterization of new Spinorphin analogs with anticonvulsant and antinociceptive actions.
• Development of hybrid peptide derivatives incorporating electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups with photoactive properties for biomedical applications.
• Preparation of nano-peptide systems using metal-based nanoparticles for delivery of therapeutic peptide molecules.
• Characterization of nano-peptide properties and evaluation of their biological applications.
• Medico-biological evaluation of synthesized nano-peptides to assess therapeutic efficacy and safety.

The science

The project integrates synthetic peptide chemistry, nanotechnology, and neurobiology:

• Engineering novel peptide analogs with enhanced stability and therapeutic action.
• Functionalizing peptides with fluorophores for dual therapeutic and imaging purposes.
• Employing nanoparticles as drug carriers to protect peptides from degradation and allow controlled release.
• Evaluating anticonvulsant and antinociceptive activities in biological systems.

The team

The PEP-NANO-DRUG partners are:

Assoc. Prof. PhD Stela Georgieva-Kiskinova (Coordinator), University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy – Sofia (UCTM), Bulgaria

Dr. Hoa Le, Institute for Nanotechnology (INT), Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Assoc. Prof. Subaer Subaer, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia

Contact: Assoc. Prof. PhD Stela Georgieva-Kiskinova            Email: st.georgieva@uctm.edu 

Background

Cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy save lives but frequently destroy ovarian function in women of childbearing age. Fertility preservation methods like ovarian tissue cryobanking present risks of reintroducing malignant cells in some cancer types. Therefore, innovative strategies are needed to restore fertility safely.

The BioOva project addresses this by creating a bioinspired engineered ovary capable of replicating the supportive environment of a natural ovary. This approach integrates tissue engineering, nanotechnology, and reproductive biology to provide a safer and more effective fertility restoration solution for cancer patients.

The project

BioOva pursues three specific objectives (SOs):

• Development of BioOva 3D matrix (WP1-3): A temporary hydrogel (3Dgel) will be engineered with defined stiffness and stability, functionalized with ECM components, and validated in vitro and in vivo.
• Development of BioOva nanoparticles (WP4-6): Nanoparticles will be designed to encapsulate and release bioactive signaling factors, enabling controlled and sustained delivery to support folliculogenesis.
• Assessment of BioOva (WP7-8): The system’s ability to support complete folliculogenesis will be evaluated, with the aim of producing healthy oocytes for in vitro maturation.

The science

BioOva integrates nanotechnology, biomaterials, and reproductive biology:

• Development of synthetic hydrogels mimicking the ovarian extracellular matrix.
• Use of nanoparticle delivery systems for controlled release of biofactors, ensuring biocompatibility and signaling efficacy.
• Application of advanced molecular techniques to assess follicle survival, growth, and maturation in engineered environments.

The project builds on expertise in biomaterials, proteomics, reproductive biology, and fertility preservation from leading European and Southeast Asian partners.

The team

The BioOva partners are:

Prof. Dr. Christiani Andrade Amorim (Coordinator), Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium

Dr. Martin Ehrbar, University of Zurich (UZH), Switzerland

Assist. Prof. Dr. Paweena Thuwanut, Chulalongkorn University (CU), Thailand

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Christiani Andrade Amorim                  Email: christiani.amorim@uclouvain.be 

Background

Lithium-ion batteries with high energy density are crucial to meet the ever-expanding demands of portable electronic, electric vehicles, and large-scale energy storage. Traditional and most commercialized lithium-ion batteries use graphite and lithium metal oxides as the materials for the intercalation-based anodes. Despite their good cycling stability, such materials possess low capacity limiting the high energy density applications of the lithium-ion batteries (e.g., stationary energy storage and electric vehicles). Various anode materials have been investigated as an alternative to overcome that issue, including silicon, which is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust. Silicon has ultra-high theoretical capacity of 4200 mAh g-1, which is about ten times higher than that of graphite anodes. However, drastic volume expansion of silicon materials during the battery operation leads to mechanical failures, loss of electrical contact, and undesirable side reactions, leading to the poor cycle life of the batteries and hinder their large-scale commercialization. Meanwhile, rapid development in the field of nanotechnology has uncovered many exciting properties of nanomaterials, including silicon nanostructures for energy storage applications. Many advances in the energy storage technology could not have been possible without enormous efforts and improvements in nanotechnology, in which understanding and manipulating the physicochemical of the materials with the desired properties at the nanometer scale had become the keys for innovation. 

The Project

The objective of the SiNanoBatt project is to use low-cost semiconductor nanomaterials (i.e., 3D silicon nanostructures for anodes) and top-down nanotechnologies to realize lithium-ion rechargeable batteries with high energy density and long cycle life. The silicon-based materials will be nano-engineered to alleviate the effect of volume expansion of silicon. Hence, we can prevent the capacity losses, improve the cycle life, and enhance the C-rate performance of the batteries. Two main strategies will be introduced for the anode design: (1) to use the 3D silicon nanostructures with different architectures and crystal orientations and (2) to integrate them with carbon or polymeric frameworks for creating novel hybrid carbon/polymeric/silicon nano-anodes. Such approaches are expected to be able to accommodate the volume expansion on the silicon anode without losing the structural integrity and mechanical stability during the lithiation process. Furthermore, the experimental works will be supported by theoretical studies (i.e., modeling of silicon nanomaterials and packing capacity of lithium-ion in the anodes) to understand the effects of the proposed approaches at the atomic scale.

The Science

SiNanoBatt enables a top-down fabrication of well-controlled and vertically-aligned 3D silicon nanostructures that are employed as an anode for lithium-ion batteries. Different 3D vertical silicon architectures will be realized (e.g., vertical silicon nanowires with various geometries), in which they are expected to be able to maintain high electrical conductivity, obtain good ionic conductivity, and exhibit robust structural integrity during the lithiation/delithiation processes. Various nanopatterning techniques (e.g., photolithography, nanoimprint lithography, and colloidal nanosphere lithography) will be utilized to fabricate the desired structures. Moreover, those well-tailored silicon nanoplatforms will be integrated with carbon-based materials and polymeric networks to enhance the battery performance by creating such unique hybrid nanostructures with higher conductivity and stronger mechanical properties.

The Team

The SiNanoBatt partners are:

• Dr.-Ing. Hutomo Suryo Wasisto, Institute of Semiconductor Technology (IHT) and Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology (LENA), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany (Project Coordinator)
• apl. Prof. Dr. Erwin Peiner, Institute of Semiconductor Technology (IHT) and Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology (LENA), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany (Project Coordinator)
• Dr. Afriyanti Sumboja, Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
• Prof. Dr. Vudhichai Parasuk, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
• Nursidik Yulianto, M.Eng., Institute of Semiconductor Technology (IHT) and Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology (LENA), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany
• Andam Deatama Refino, M.Sc., Institute of Semiconductor Technology (IHT) and Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology (LENA), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany

Contact:

Dr.-Ing. Hutomo Suryo Wasisto, e-mail: h.wasisto@nanosense-id.com 

apl. Prof. Dr. Erwin Peiner, e-mail: e.peiner@tu-braunschweig.de 

Background

Resistance to antibiotics is considered to be one of the major health problems worldwide. Unfortunately, the rate of development of new drugs is too slow to address the need that is apparent by alarming reports on multiply resistant bacteria against which no antibiotics work. Among the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is one of the most common human pathogens that can be either hospital acquired or community associated. SA is particularly prone to acquire resistances to most antibiotics. Although infection rates differ considerably among various countries, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a worldwide concern in health care facilities, i.e. also in Asia, and represents a severe infection disease burden, in particular in the ageing population. The necessary screening methods are typically expensive and require laboratory facilities. To be able to screen patients in hospital admission, to administer antibiotics in a targeted fashion (i.e. to match the drug to the bacterium) and to analyze pathways of resistance spread, reliable on-site tests are absolutely necessary. These should be rapid, ultrasensitive, selective and accurate, yet also economic and sustainable.

The project

NAPARBA aims at the development of a reliable and sustainable nanotechnology-enabled approach to ultrasensitively detect and differentiate antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a point of care diagnostic setting. The project addresses the core challenge to detect bacteria and in particular to differentiate resistant from non-resistant strains at low concentrations of potential biomarkers. The approach developed in NAPARBA to separate, up-concentrate and analyze small amounts of DNA will tested for applicability in a prototypical demonstrator to ensure applicability in a working environment.

The science

NAPARBA builds on a versatile and ultrasensitive detection approach, enhances the functionality and performance of the individual components and also utilizes nanoparticles of local natural resources. These are complemented by to be improved high performance non-toxic luminescent quantum dots for signaling, magnetic nanoparticles for separation and nanocoatings of advanced polymers to suppress particle aggregation and to afford functionality. The nanotechnology elements are combined in a point of care (POC) compatible workflow employing low cost materials and are tailored towards prototypic application.

The team

The NAPARBA partners are:

Prof. Dr. Holger Schönherr, Physical Chemistry I and Research Center of Micro and Nanochemistry and Engineering (Cμ), University of Siegen, Germany (Project coordinator)

S. N. Aisyiyah Jenie, Ph.D, Research Center for Chemistry, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Indonesia

Associate Prof. Dr. Sedat Nizamoğlu, Koç University, Turkey

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Holger Schönherr           E-Mail: schoenherr@chemie.uni-siegen.de 

Background

Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONs) have attracted significant attention to energy storage and conversion applications. The substantial benefits of MONs consist of: (1) structural changes allowing for the attraction of lattice criteria (2) changes in electrochemical attributes due to the quantum confinement effect and (3) changes in surface properties leading to drastic modification of their conductivity and chemical activity. Different types of MON e.g. MnO2 and Zn2SnO4 (ZTO) have been thoroughly investigated for photovoltaic and battery applications. Nevertheless, MONs exhibit uncommon adsorptive properties and fast diffusivities, and they are not stable in critical conditions. There is great interest in using a barrier layer made of very thin layers of stable metal oxides coatings e.g. Al2O3, ZnO, and SnO2. In the synthesis and application of the protective coatings of MONs, real challenges arise which have high potential whether for industrial applications or academic research.

The Project

The primary objective of this joint project is to generate a stable energy storage i.e. a zinc-ion battery (ZIB) as well as energy conversion (Perovskite solar cell) devices. This will be achieved by optimizing particle sizes, morphologies, structure, and phases of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles (MONs) via an inexpensive and eco-friendly hydrothermal process and depositing a protective Metal Oxide (MO) coating on its surface via Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) process.

The Science

Metal oxide (MO) layers are well-known candidates for barrier layers in a variety of energy devices. Among the metal oxides, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, tin oxide, and various nanolaminates of these materials, grown from atomic layer deposition (ALD), have been proven to provide promising thin-film barriers. ALD deposited MO layers provide substantial protection from water, oxygen, and other corrosive species and can be employed to enhance the long-term stability of sensitive devices such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) or organic / perovskite solar cells.

The concept of ALD coating has also been widely employed to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries (LiBs). For instance, the ALD of Al2O3 film on LiCoO2 minimizes Co dissolution and reduces surface electrolyte reactions. In addition, ALD of Al2O3 on LiMn2O4/carbon electrodes was found not only to serve as a physical barrier between the electrolyte and the electrode, but also to exhibit relatively good ionic conductivity which prevents a significant increase in polarization resistance. Moreover, Al2O3 coating significantly mitigates side reactions of active materials without restricting the uptake and release of lithium ions. Later on, the concept of barrier coating was applied in ZIBs wherein it was found that self-discharge of the battery was considerably suppressed without sacrificing battery performance by coating a thin layer coating of Al2O3 onto the surface of the zinc particles. 

Even though the technique of spatial atmospheric pressure atomic layer deposition (SAP-ALD) enables roll to roll (R2R) implementation of ALD, it is a slow technique with growth rates ranging in some few nm / s. This is mainly due to the necessity for a layer-by-layer buildup of the volume. Hence, a reduction of the necessary ALD cycles, while simultaneously maintaining the unique layer properties, is highly desirable, due to the direct impact in lowering production costs. A promising approach to improve this position is to grow the ALD layer on top of the nanoparticle scaffold. This is believed to improve the effective barrier volume without the need for additional ALD cycles. 

Among metal oxide electron-transporting materials, zinc tin oxide (ZTO) is one of the promising semiconductors due to its chemical stability towards acid/base and ambient environments, its high electron mobility of 10-25 cm2 V-1 s-1, wide optical bandgap (3.8 eV), and compatible conduction band edge (3.8-4.0 eV) with that of perovskite materials. In addition, it was reported that the perovskite solar cell with the ZTO nanoparticle (NP) layer showed the enhanced ambient stability under 30 ± 5 %relative humidity in comparison with the one without ZTO. Particle size and crystallinity also have a strong effect on electron collection ability owing to the interconnection between individual nanoparticles. Highly crystalline having a relatively large particle size is required for efficient electron collection. At the same time, the particle size (due to concomitant interspace) is expected to influence the diffusion of ALD precursor into a NP scaffold. Consequently, a deeper understanding of the interplay between NP size/shape and the ALD growth properties (most prominently temperature to promote precursor diffusion) and their impact on the resulting layer barrier properties is highly desirable.

The Team

Project Coordinator:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Soorathep Kheawhom

Faculty of Engineering

Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Asst. Prof. Dr. Pipat Ruankham

Faculty of Science

Chiang Mai University, Thailand

Dr. Rongrong Cheacharoen

Metallurgy and Materials Science Research Institute,

Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Dr. Ryan D. Corpuz

CEO, Nanolabs LRC Co. Ltd.

Team lead, iNano Research Facility

De La Salle University-Manila, The Philippines

Dr. Lyn Marie DJ. Corpuz

CTO, Nanolabs LRC Co. Ltd.

Resident Scientist, Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences

University of San Tomas, The Philippines

Prof. Dr. Thomas Riedl

Chair of Electronic Devices

University of Wuppertal, Germany