Dutch Research Council Open Competition grant for three projects with Leiden researchers
Three research projects with researchers from Leiden University have received a Dutch Research Council Open Competition Science-M grant. This is for innovative, high-quality fundamental research within the science domain.
Twenty-one projects have received a grant in this round. The research projects with Leiden researchers will receive between EUR 400,000 and 800,000.
Below is a summary of the three projects.
Catch and release: Anderson localisation of electrons in metal-halide perovskite semiconductors
Jaco Geuchies, Leiden Institute of Chemistry
Metal-halide perovskites are promising materials for absorbing and emitting light. They consist of ions that can vibrate around their equilibrium position, which occurs on the same time scales as the movement of current. The constantly vibrating lattice allows electrons to become first trapped, then freed. Theoretically, this effect is predicted; experimentally, it has not yet been observed: by using THz light pulses to measure the photoconductivity of these materials, we can better understand what limits their efficiency. By manipulating the lattice vibrations with chemical tricks, we hope to gain control over this start-and-stop mechanism.
Functionalised graphene as a H+ permeable membrane
Grégory Schneider and Dennis Hetterscheid, Leiden Institute for Chemistry
This proposal aims to increase the proton permeability of initially poorly proton permeable 2D materials such as graphene. Sulfophenylation of two-dimensional graphene will create a path for protons to pass through graphene, thereby maximising permselective transport. This effect will be systematically evaluated, also in combination with other chemistries, catalysts and fuel cell architectures.
Egg overwintering in a warmer world: are wild insect populations able to genetically adapt?
Marcel Visser (NIOO-KNAW) and Maurijn van der Zee (Institute of Biology Leiden)
Insect populations worldwide are dramatically declining. Especially insects that overwinter as eggs are in decline, as egg development strongly depends on temperature. To survive climate change, the temperature response of egg development needs to adapt. This project investigates the adaptive potential of wild insects by determining which genes underlie how egg development responds to temperature in wild populations. The researchers will investigate 12 different species to determine whether the same genes are involved in different insects. They will use this information to assess whether wild insect populations harbour variation for these genes, which is an important determinant of their adaptive potential.