“Using light and colors to unravel the invisible and build a better future”
Passionate about my work, this website enables me to present my research as well as communicating on my work, what I do, why I do it, and explaining my research tools such as the synchrotron.
Today, fossil fuels are not only burned for energy but also used to produce essential materials like rubber, plastics, and medicines. To move away from fossil oil, we need a circular carbon economy—one where CO₂ is recycled into useful products instead of being released into the atmosphere.
In my research, I work on developing advanced materials that use sunlight and electricity to transform CO₂ into fuels and chemicals. By studying these materials at a fundamental level, I aim to create innovative solutions that help reduce our reliance on fossil resources and pave the way for a greener, more sustainable world.
Next to come
2nd International Workshop on Nanodiamonds - ENS Paris Saclay
https://ndworkshop2025.sciencesconf.org/
This October, I will attend the 2nd International Workshop on Nanodiamonds at the ENS Paris Saclay, where I had the great honor to be invited to present some Advanced characterizations of nanodiamonds by synchrotron-based techniques. I will make a review on the different techniques we can apply on diamond surfaces and nanodiamonds to probe their surface states and surface defects (NEXAFS, depth resolved XPS, STXM) and the interaction of the surface with a liquid (NAP-XPS, in situ NEXAFS).
Tweet highlight
XPS and Materials Chemistry: The Importance of Correction for MXenes
in collaboration with colleagues from Berlin, Philadelphia, and Poitiers, I have published an article titled "Combining X-Ray Photoelectron and Absorption Spectroscopies for Determining Surface Chemistry and Composition of Ti₃C₂Tx MXene" in the journal Advanced Materials Interfaces.
MXenes are promising two-dimensional materials for energy storage, catalysis, and water purification due to their high conductivity and adjustable surface chemistry depending on synthesis methods. Until now, XPS analyses of MXenes showed levels of contamination and defects not observed by other methods. This work uses a depth profile modeling of XPS made at the Berlin synchrotron to determine how to correct laboratory XPS, revealing that many observed defects were surface effects.
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Diamonds are not just precious stones—they can also be grown in the lab and engineered into advanced materials for science and technology. In this image, taken with an electron microscope, you can see "diamond black" electrodes developed by my collaborator, Dr. Peter Knittel from the Fraunhofer Institute. These electrodes feature a surface covered with needle-like structures, designed to significantly increase the contact area with water, enhancing their efficiency in chemical reactions. This innovation highlights the incredible potential of diamond-based materials in cutting-edge research.