Horizon Europe projects
The ULTRA-2DPK project is funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, Horizon Europe program.
ULTRA-2DPK
- Contact: Marios.Zacharias@insa-rennes.fr
- Project website
- Follow Marios Zacharias and the ULTRA-D2PK project on X
- Cordis Europa
Themes: Science des matériaux, ingénierie des matériaux, physique de la matière condensée
Laboratory: Institut FOTON
Funder(s): Commission Européenne, Programme Horizon Europe
Call for projects: HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
Single-benefit project
MSCA scholarship winner: Marios ZACHARIAS, supervisor: Jacky EVEN
INSA Rennes budget: 211 754.88€
Duration: 24 months from May 1, 2023
Scientific description of the project
ULTRA-2DPK aims to elucidate the fundamental limits of power conversion efficiencies (PCE) of two-dimensional (2D) halide perovskites, guide the optimization of 2DPK and 2DPK/3DPK solar cell devices, and promote their development for solar power generation. (PKs), and promote their development for industrial applications. The growing demand for clean energy technologies in Europe calls for optoelectronic devices with low manufacturing costs and high PCEs. 2DPKs offer promising avenues for the development of stable next-generation optoelectronics, including solar cells, light-emitting diodes and broadcasting devices. In principle, understanding the physical mechanisms underlying transient electron flows and atomic motions in 2DPK-based systems is essential.
To this end, experiments based on ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy are making excellent progress. However, computational strategies for the non-equilibrium complexes that arise in such measurements are still lacking.
Within the framework of this grant, a new first-principles methodology will be developed, which takes full account of electron-phonon and anharmonic dynamics. Recent advances in electronic structure and many-body theory approaches will be combined to study the thermal equilibrium and non-equilibrium optoelectronic properties of 2DPKs as a function of layer thickness. ULTRA-2DPK also focuses on transferring the experienced researcher's knowledge of finite-temperature and many-body approaches to the host institute, as well as enhancing his general and research skills that will enable him to become a leading figure in his field.
The aims of this project are perfectly in line with the European Union's objectives for a sustainable solar energy ecosystem, and the development of modern, low-cost optoelectronic technologies.
Marios ZACHARIAS, 
winner of the MSCA grant for the ULTRA-2DPK project, talks about his project in an interview with Patricia GAUTIER, European Project Manager COFUND – BIENVENÜE
Context
I'm interested in exploring materials capable of capturing solar energy and converting it into electrical energy. I'm originally from Cyprus, a sunny island where solar energy production is constant throughout the year, as in many European countries. I want to use my research to contribute to the development of solar energy technology in these regions.
As a theoretical and numerical physicist, I am responsible for developing new codes and physical theories that describe the properties of materials. I use calculations to make initial observations and predictions, which my colleagues can then use to guide their experimental research. During my research career, I have created a new methodology for taking account of temperature effects in materials calculations. This is particularly important in the context of solar cells, as temperature plays an important role in their optical absorption properties.
About ULTRA2DPK
I'm currently focusing on the study of new materials for solar cells, which are responsible for converting solar energy into electricity. While traditional solar cells are generally composed of silicon, new materials are emerging that offer better properties and are more cost-effective. As part of the ULTRA-2DPK project, I am exploring alternative materials belonging to the class of two-dimensional metal halide perovskites. These materials consist of inorganic layers separated by molecules, offering new functionalities, device stability and tunability of optical properties. Artificial intelligence-assisted materials research has predicted that there are over 500 possibilities for assembling these layers. My aim is to identify the most promising materials and understand the factors that influence their energy conversion efficiency in the thermal equilibrium and non-equilibrium regime after photoexcitation. The results of this project will help experimental colleagues to optimize the functionalities of two-dimensional metal halide perovskites in the laboratory.
This work will also serve, at a fundamental level, to better understand quantum effects, which, more generally, will contribute to improving the efficiency of solar energy conversion. As global policies aim to achieve net-zero emissions and a low-carbon economy by 2050, it is vital to improve the efficiency of solar energy conversion. This urgency has been heightened by recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, recent summer heat waves and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Why Institut Foton?
The computational group at Institut Foton has considerable expertise in exploring and optimizing solar cell properties, with a large number of publications on two- and three-dimensional halide perovskites. This will have a major impact on my training in this fast-growing field, and pave the way for new collaborations with top-level scientists. In addition, Jacky EVEN, the project supervisor, is a leading figure in the field, with theoretical and experimental expertise in understanding the conversion of sunlight from perovskite materials. Working at the highest level with Jacky EVEN will play an important role in my future career.
Sources: https://msca-bienvenue.bretagne.bzh/temoignage/marios-zacharias-computational-physicist/
Within Pillar 1 “Science for Excellence”, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program aims to encourage the mobility of researchers between countries, sectors and disciplines on research projects and training programs. The main aim is to promote researchers' careers through the acquisition of new knowledge and skills.
The ADVHANDTURE project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC/ERC), Horizon Europe program.
ADVHANDTURE
Contact: Maud Marchal / maud.marchal@irisa.fr
Themes: Informatique, robotique, haptique
Laboratory: IRISA
Funder(s): Commission Européenne, Programme Horizon Europe
Call for projects: ERC-2022-COG
Single-benefit project
Winner of the ERC fellowship: Maud MARCHAL
INSA Rennes budget: 1 999 750.00€
Duration: 60 months from October 1, 2023
Scientific description of the project
Holding a cup of hot coffee while stirring the sugar with a spoon, repairing a hole in our favorite T-shirt by sewing together two pieces of soft fabric, exploring the sports seat and leather steering wheel of a racing car: the variety of haptic stimuli in our daily lives is immense. The combined sensations associated with the geometry and physical properties of objects, surface texture, temperature or rigidity are fundamental to manipulating objects or exploring our environment.
In recent years, numerous advances have been made in haptic technologies to provide a variety of tactile sensations in virtual reality, thanks to innovative haptic interfaces that users can wear all over their bodies.
However, despite these advances, immersive systems today still face a fundamental lack of rich tactile feedback capable of conveying convincing sensations. ADVHANDTURE aims to introduce an original computational approach to managing multimodal tactile feedback in immersive environments through the design of models dedicated to immersive tactile haptics. The hand - with its fundamental role in the sense of touch - will be at the heart of the adventure through tactile exploration of immersive environments.
Maud MARCHAL, 
Professor at INSA Rennes and member of IRISA, talks about her project
Sources: INS2I website
Seeing, hearing and soon touching virtual environments. To take this next step, Maud Marchal is designing algorithms to enhance haptic feedback when we interact with virtual or augmented environments. As part of her ERC Consolidator grant, the university professor at INSA Rennes and researcher at the Institut de recherche en informatique et systèmes aléatoires (IRISA - CNRS/Université de Rennes) aims to understand how to combine different stimuli and determine the best haptic response to send to the user, in order to enhance the quality of their virtual reality experience.
Over the past thirty years, interaction with virtual environments has focused on visual and auditory stimulation. The sense of touch has been more rarely associated, limited to use in specific applications. Unlike sight and hearing, touch does not rely on a single organ. On the one hand, it relies on our muscles and joints, which provide the kinesthetic sensation mostly used in force feedback devices, and on the other, on the receptors under our skin, which generate the tactile sensation. The multiple possibilities for stimulating tactile feedback make it complex to implement in our interaction with virtual environments, with the need for dedicated interfaces for each type of stimulus.
In recent years, the advent of consumer virtual reality and the emergence of wearable haptic interfaces with the democratization of 3D printing have reshuffled the deck in favor of tactile feedback. What if it were possible to develop new interfaces stimulating multiple tactile sensations at the same time? This is one of the questions at the heart of the work of Maud Marchal, professor of computer science at INSA Rennes. The researcher creates models, algorithms and associated interfaces to enhance the sensory capabilities of people interacting with virtual or augmented worlds.
My work aims to design algorithms to enrich the sensory feedback of people interacting with virtual worlds.
« Understanding which parts of the body to stimulate to bring sensations to users is a particularly complex issue in terms of human perception and technology », explains the researcher. The perception of the human body in a virtual world differs from that in the real world. As a result, it is necessary to develop new knowledge in human physiology and neuroscience adapted to these new environments. « We can stimulate the body in many different ways, with vibrations, temperature changes, friction and so on. However, we need to determine whether it is possible to combine different stimuli,” she explains. And if so: where, when and how to transmit this feedback to the user ». To answer these questions, her ERC Consolidator ADVHANDTURE will focus on the design of new interaction models and paradigms for combining multiple haptic stimuli.
In my ERC project ADVHANDTURE, I'm particularly interested in the hand because of its central role in our haptic interaction with our environment.
ne of the major challenges is to design multi-sensory experiences in immersive environments. To maintain immersion, the algorithms developed must be able to synchronize the different senses brought to life by providing haptic stimuli in real time. « Providing a tactile experience adapted to a virtual situation requires more computing time than for the other senses. This means that our algorithms will have to be efficient in haptic transmission without being too complex, at the risk of having an out-of-sync feedback from the other senses », explains the researcher.
In order to design the new haptic feedback models, experiments will be carried out with users both upstream, to better understand the perception of several haptic stimuli combined in virtual reality, and downstream, to test the algorithms created. Ultimately, this work will have healthcare spin-offs, notably in the context of mobility re-education programs. They will also be used for virtual prototyping in industry, or for learning gestures on a production line.
Within Pillar 1 “Science for excellence”, the European Research Council program is open to all disciplines, and concerns breakthrough projects designed to push back the frontiers of knowledge and promote scientific excellence”.
These grants are intended to enable early-career scientists to build (StG) or strengthen (CoG) their research teams around projects on ambitious, high-risk subjects, responding to innovative scientific issues or challenges not yet addressed.