Functionalized two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides with organic photoactive components for energy applications

Research on TMDs incorporating photoactive units aiming energy conversion applications has yet to be fully developed. FUN2DPHOTO aims to the preparation of advanced hybrid materials composed of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and organic photoactive units for energy applications. Emphasis is placed on the design, synthesis, characterization and properties evaluation in the frame of electron donor-acceptor hybrids suitable to be employed as model electrodes in photoelectrochemical cells. More specifically, FUN2DPHOTO focuses on the functionalization of TMDs with metallomacrocycles such as porphyrins and phthalocyanines as well as boron azadipyrromethenes as Vis and NIR absorbing species, and in parallel will be investigated the role and effect of the interaction, covalent vs non-covalent, between the two species, as well as the amount/loading of the photoactive species loaded on TMDs, on the efficiency of the hybrids when employed as active electrodes in photoelectrochemical cells.

 

Hence, FUN2DPHOTO constitutes a major challenge and holds tremendous promise that will lead to ground-breaking developments in materials science, optoelectronics, and renewable sources. Moreover, while most of recent research endeavours on TMDs are focused on device engineering to boost performance for conventional applications, FUN2DPHOTO offers a unique opportunity to fully exploit the potential of materials engineering through chemical functionalization. With such an approach, the properties of TMDs can be tuned, via the controlled interface of TMDs with functional molecular components, making possible to impart to TMDs a multifunctional nature. FUN2DPHOTO is high-risk/high-gain that will address a fundamental breakthrough by unravelling the effect of materials engineering on the modification of fundamental physicochemical properties of TMDs. Specifically, the covalent grafting vs supramolecular interacting via electrostatic interactions or metal-ligand coordination of photoactive components on/with TMDs, targeting the development of solid knowledge on the use of principles of materials engineering, nanoscience and charge transfer phenomena at interfaces of TMDs, en route the fabrication of prototype electrodes for photoelectrochemical cells, will be employed.

Team

 

Dr. Nikos Tagmatarchis

Coordinator and Principal Investigator

 

Dr. Ioanna Sideri

Postdoctoral Associate

 

Ms. Eleni Nikoli

PhD Candidate

 

Dr. Ruben Canton-Vitoria

Postdoctoral Researcher

 

Dr. Eleni Nikoli

Postdoctoral Associate

 

Conferences

 

“Functionalized MoS₂ electrostatically associated with photoactive chromophores”
E. Nikoli, M. Tsigkou, I. K. Sideri, M. Kardaras, H. J. Ojeda Galvan, M. Quintana, N. Tagmatarchis

The 25th International Conference on the Science and Applications of Nanotubes and Low-Dimensional Materials – NT’25, Kyoto, Japan, June 15-20, 2025 (poster presentation)

 

“Chemical modification of transition metal dichalcogenides with photoactive components”
N. Tagmatarchis

HeteroNanoCarb-2024, Benasque (Aragon), Spain, January 13-17, 2025 (invited presentation)

 

“Synthesis and characterization of chemical modified MoS₂ nanosheets with perylene derivatives”
E. Nikoli, R. Canton-Vitoria, N. Tagmatarchis

23rd Panhellenic Chemistry Conference, Athens, Greece, September 25-28, 2024 (oral presentation)

 

“Synthesis and characterization of modified MoS₂ nanosheets coordinated with metallo-porphyrin and metallo-phthalocyanine”
E. Nikoli, I. K. Sideri, N. Tagmatarchis

23rd Panhellenic Chemistry Conference, Athens, Greece, September 25-28, 2024 (poster presentation)

 

“Functionalized two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides for energy applications” I. K. Sideri, N. Tagmatarchis

Carbon Nanoscience and Nanotechnology-NanoteC24, Nantes, France, August 27–30, 2024 (oral presentation)

 

“Synthesis, characterization and optical and redox properties evaluation of perylene modified MoS₂ nanosheets”
E. Nikoli, R. Canton-Vitoria, N. Tagmatarchis

NanoteC24 International conference on nanocarbons and other 2D materials, Nantes, France, August 27-30, 2024 (oral presentation)

 

“Chemical functionalization of carbon nanostructures and 2D nanomaterials for energy-related applications”
N. Tagmatarchis

Graduate School of Engineering, Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan, August 7, 2024 (oral presentation)

 

“Functionalization of transition metal dichalcogenides and hybrids for energy conversion”
N. Tagmatarchis

24th International Conference on Photochemical Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy / International Conference on Artificial Photosynthesis (IPS-24/ICARP2024), Hiroshima, Japan, July 28 – August 2, 2024 (invited presentation)

 

“Coordinated metallo-porphyrin and metallo-phthalocyanine onto modified MoS₂”
E. Nikoli, I. K. Sideri, N. Tagmatarchis

E-MRS Spring Meeting 2024, Symposium J: “Chemical Functionalization of 2D Materials”, Strasbourg, France, May 26–31, 2024 (poster presentation)

 

“Sustainable photocatalytic acylation of transition metal dichalcogenides with atom economy”
I. K. Sideri, R. Canton-Vitoria, N. Tagmatarchis

E-MRS Spring Meeting 2024, Symposium J: “Chemical Functionalization of 2D Materials”, Strasbourg, France, May 26–31, 2024 (poster presentation)

 

“Covalently modified MoS₂ with zinc phthalocyanine for managing photoinduced charge-transfer phenomena”
R. Canton-Vitoria, H. B. Gobeze, Y. Jang, F. D’Souza, V. M. Blas-Fernando, J. Ortiz, F. Fernandez-Lazaro, A. Sastre-Santos, N. Tagmatarchis

Advances and Applications in Carbon Related Nanomaterials: From pure to doped structures including heteroatom layers – HeteroNanoCarb 2023”, Benasque, Spain, January 9-13, 2023 (poster presentation)

 

“Chemical functionalization of two-dimensional transition metal disulfides”
R. Canton-Vitoria, N. Tagmatarchis

X Mediterranean Organic Chemistry Meeting”, Valencia, Spain, October 19-21, 2022 (oral presentation)

 

External Collaborators (not funded)

 

Prof. Francis D’Souza

Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas (UnivNT) USA

 

Prof. Hiroshi Imahori

Department of Molecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, and Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Kyoto University (KyotoU) Japan

 

Dr. Raul Arenal

Institute de Nanociencia de Aragon, Universidad de Zaragoza (UniZar) Spain