The Laboratory of Advanced Amorphous Materials and Nanomaterials at FORTH/ICE-HT with Dr. Spyridona Giannopoulos is active since 1999 in the study of the structure and dynamics of non-crystalline materials, supercooled liquids and melts with emphasis on photo-induced phenomena of amorphous semiconductors (copper glasses) with applications in optics and optoelectronics (photonics).
For the last fifteen years, the Laboratory has focused on the controlled synthesis, on the characterization and on the applications of one-dimensional (1D) nanostructured crystalline materials with applications in the fields of (1) energy conversion and storage, (2) gas sensors and (3) photocatalytic decomposition of pollutants in water resources. More specifically, the main activities in the field of renewable energy sources (harvesting/conversion) have focused on the development of nanostructured materials, aiming at photovoltaic (PV) cells, and at photoelectrochemical hydrogen production from water decomposition.
At the same time, a systematic research activity is being developed for the controlled synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) crystals. One direction concerns the use of laser sources for high-quality graphene production, at low cost, in environmental conditions and high efficiency. The method involves the reduction of graphene oxide as well as the decomposition of organic compounds and biomass products into graphene. Current activities are related to the direct synthesis and coating of graphene on flexible substrates, e.g., multi-functional or electronic fabrics with integrated portable energy conversion devices, such as friction-electric nanogenerators. In addition, part of the activity concerns the development of a method based on chemical vapor deposition for the synthesis of 2D crystals of transition metal dichalcogenides, such as MoS2, WS2, etc. These films with a thickness of a few atomic layers are used in PV cells as low-cost electrodes against platinum.