Nanoseminar in Physics

IN PERSON EVENT - REGISTER HERE to attend

Speaker: Dr Giorgio Divitini, Tenure Track Principal Investigator, Italian Institute of Technology (Génova, Italy)

Abstract: Electron microscopy is a versatile tool for the characterisation of nanomaterials. Specifically, in our current projects, we extensively characterise nanocrystals for optoelectronics, including both conventional QDs (InAs and core-shell structures) and emerging materials (halide perovskites). In our materials discovery projects, we also investigate how heterostructures can be engineered between a perovskite component and a chalcohalide, designing epitaxial interfaces and controlling local strain. To this end we employ a variety of techniques implemented in a state-of-the-art Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), including atomic resolution imaging and spectroscopy (STEM-EDX, STEM-EELS). By exploiting novel imaging methods, we can extract information from samples with a minimal electron dose, preventing the onset of beam damage. We also study 2D materials (2D perovskites, MXenes) to understand local chemical and crystallographic structure with nm-scale resolution, combining spectroscopy in the TEM with cathodoluminescence in the SEM. In this seminar our approaches will be showcased for a selection of materials and devices for optoelectronics.

Biography: Giorgio Divitini studied Physics in Milan and obtained a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Cambridge (UK). He was a post-doctoral researcher there for four years before taking on a position as Advanced TEM Officer, working in the largest electron microscopy facility for physical sciences in Cambridge. In 2021 he moved to IIT to start a group dedicated to the advancement of electron microscopy and its applications. Giorgio is passionate about pushing the boundaries of characterisation at the nanoscale, employing new detectors, new acquisition protocols and new data analysis approaches for electron microscopy and related techniques. His past work includes a variety of analytical techniques, including electron tomography, EDX and EEL spectroscopy, cryo-EM and in situ characterisation. Applications-wise, he has mostly worked on materials and devices relevant for energy, such as solar cells, LEDs and battery materials.

Hosted by Prof. Jordi Arbiol, Advanced Electron Nanoscopy Group Leader at ICN2