Physics of electronic nanomaterials

The UCM team is composed by 8 staff members with large accumulated experience in materials physics and chemistry. The senior researchers involved are specialist in the fabrication and characterization of functional materials, specifically in nanomaterials of interest for energy, sensing and other multifunctional applications. Research of the UCM team refers to the relationship between the microstructural features of electronic nanomaterials and their optical and electronic local properties. Most of the investigated materials are semiconductor nanomaterials and composites, mainly oxide-based, synthesized by vapor-solid processes and other chemical methods. Nanostructures with a large variety of morphologies, with predominance of elongated structures such as nanowires, nanoneedles or nanobelts, as well as nanoparticles are synthetized and characterized. The group has also experience in application of different micro- and nanocharacterization techniques to the study of structure, optical and electronic properties, including problems related to energy levels, dopant incorporation, electronic recombination, surface effects, crystal defects, growth mechanisms, most of them with high spatial resolution (including aberration corrected- and conventional high resolution transmission, scanning electron microscopy with dedicated instruments for the implementation of different measurements: CL, EBIC, EDS, BSED, confocal PL and Raman microscopy and Atomic force microscopy-conductive mode).

The proposed projects are related to the synthesis, characterization and application of wide band gap semiconducting oxide nanostructures and related materials; such as titanium oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, indium zinc oxide, gallium oxide, nickel oxide, ternary related compounds and composites etc. The group is active in developing nanostructures for optical resonators, sensors, luminescence devices, solar cells and batteries, among others. The group own 4 patents, and collaborate with international groups in a wide network all over the world by means of regular funding through international and national projects. General objectives of the actual research lines are: <br />"The synthesis of complex nanostructures allowing multi- functionality.<br />"The study of transport phenomena, light-matter interaction and coupling effects in wide bandgap oxide nanomaterials. <br />"The development of in-situ and in-operando measurements techniques with spatial resolution.<br />

CV and motivation letter