Through wear and friction, tribological contacts account for roughly a quarter of global energy consumption [1]. Contact electrification (CE) is a particularly important contributor to these losses [2], causing intense electrostatic forces through a mechanism that is still largely unknown [3]. To minimize energy losses and wear [2], mitigate risks [4], and even recuperate energy […]
The land-ocean interface plays a key role in the global carbon cycle, chiefly influencing Earth climate. There are however large unknowns on sinks and sources of carbon in marine coastal areas. Among the sources, the supply of dissolved carbon via submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) remains poorly understood, mainly because SGD is an invisible process that […]
Solid tumors often undergo macroscopic growth arrest, a phenomenon that remainsquantitatively unresolved despite extensive modelling efforts. This Ph.D. project aims to advance a renormalisation-group (RG) field-theoretical framework that captures the universal features of tumor arrest from first principles, with the goal of supporting more predictive and sustainable cancer treatment strategies. The objectives of this Ph.D. […]
In binary alloy electrodeposition from aqueous solutions, three fundamental deposition modes are universally recognized: normal, anomalous, and induced regimes. These describe how the relative deposition rates of two metals (A and B) compare with their relative concentrations and inherent nobility (standard reduction potentials). In anomalous co-deposition, the less noble metal deposits preferentially, contrary to what […]
Hydrogen has the potential to replace fossil fuels in hard-to-decarbonize sectors, thereby supporting global climate goals. Molecular hydrogen can be produced through water electrolysis (or water splitting), and it is considered a clean fuel when generated using renewable electricity via the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Freshwater is scarce globally, but seawater makes up ~97% of […]
In recent years, a substantial body of research has demonstrated that thermal diffusion —the macroscopic transport mechanism governing heat dissipation in solids — does not explain the evolution of thermal energy at the nanoscale. The breakdown of diffusion has an enormous technological impact, since it prevents informed design for thermal management in energy conversion and […]
The implementation of renewable energy resources into electricity pools, replacing the traditional use of fossil fuels, provides well-known advantages in terms of energy efficiency and reduction of carbon footprint. These, however, come at the expense of dangers and instabilities caused to the electricity grids. The unpredictability of the renewable energy systems is a potential source […]
The rapid expansion of information technologies has intensified global energy demands, especially in data storage and processing. Conventional magnetic devices rely on current-driven switching, leading to Joule heating and power losses. Magnetoelectric (ME) composites enable electric-field control of magnetization, offering a route to low-power electronics. Single-phase ME materials intrinsically couple polarization and magnetization, but their […]