ERC Grant Allows Development of Superfunctional 2D Materials
Michal Otyepka obtained the first ERC grant for Palacký University. Photo: Viktor Čáp
Five years ago, the physical chemist Michal Otyepka stood at the discovery of the world’s thinnest insulator – fluorographene. This successful scientist from the Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM) at the UP Faculty of Science has now been granted a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grant worth €1.8 million. It will enable him to spend the next five years with his colleagues searching for new superfunctional materials derived from graphene, and tailoring their properties to suit their specific applications in medicine, environmental protection, highly efficient catalysts, and electronics.
The project called “Two-dimensional Chemistry towards Graphene Derivatives” aims to understand the chemical rules of the two-dimensional world of carbon materials, especially fluorographene. They are so thin that their third dimension, thickness, is out of the question – and that is why scientists call them 2D materials.
“We will be looking for answers to the question whether any specific principles apply in the two-dimensional world which could be used for preparation of unique 2D materials. If we manage to understand this world’s principles, we will be able to anticipate the properties of 2D materials and subsequently prepare them and use them in suitable technologies,” said Otyepka. His vision includes the development of superfunctional materials that will find their application in medicine in scanning methods and detection of various biomolecules in the patients’ blood, urine, or directly in their cells. “The development of magnetic 2D materials represents a major challenge, since there has been a strong demand for a two-dimensional carbon magnet containing no metals. Further applications are possible in spin transport electronics and highly efficient non-metal catalysts,” added Otyepka.
Graphene may be simply described as a lattice made of one layer of carbon atoms. It is a light, mechanically resistant material, more than 300 times stronger than steel. It conducts electricity extremely efficiently. Graphene has certain limits, however, and its derivatives may overcome them. Olomouc scientists have been conducting this research for several years. The top-notch devices in the RCPTM are at the disposal of the strongly international team which joins scientists from chemistry, physics, and related sciences. “The unparalleled equipment in the RCPTM allows us to watch chemical modifications of graphene on the atomic level and the behaviour of molecules on the surface of 2D materials, and to study all kinds of optical, magnetic, and sensory applications. Without such equipment, such a prestigious multidisciplinary project would be inconceivable. It has also shown that our system of work based on the combination of basic and applied research is the key to success. The ERC grant award only confirms that the RCPTM is one of the most productive science institutes in the Czech Republic, especially in the field of chemical and nanomaterial research,” said the RCPTM Head, Radek Zbořil, who has been studying graphene derivatives for a long time.
The ERC grant has been awarded to Palacký University for the first time, and Olomouc scientists believe it will be soon followed by others. “It is a tremendous success for the RCPTM, the Faculty of Science, and the whole university. Olomouc will again be made more visible on the map of Europe, and our prestige will increase. It is not a matter of boasting – we just want to be seen as a high-quality, research-oriented university, a strong and reliable partner for cooperation – even in the most complicated research areas,” said the UP Faculty of Science Dean, Ivo Frébort.
The ERC grant is not the first important appreciation of Prof Otyepka’s work. In 2014, he was awarded one million CZK from the Neuron Fund for Support of Science for his research of graphene and its interactions with live molecules. He has published over 140 works and has over 4000 citations. He is looking forward to the opportunity to consolidate his research team in the RCPTM and attract other qualified scientists. “My feelings are those of joy and responsibility. I believe the grant will help me to advance a little bit further once more,” confessed Otyepka.
