The ERC-project TomATTO’s Consortium meets in Milan
06.05.2025
- Politecnico di Milano hosts the first in-person meeting of ERC-Synergy TomATTO project.
- TomATTO gathers synergy from three research groups based in Madrid and Milan towards one ambitious goal: capturing the ultrafast electron dynamics in organic molecules to enhance solar energy conversion.
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Madrid, May 6th, 2025. Researchers from the TomATTO Consortium gathered in Milan for a two-day meeting to discuss the latest advancements in the project. The event began with welcome presentations from the three principal investigators Fernando Martín, from the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Nanoscience / Universidad Autónoma (IMDEA/UAM, Madrid); Nazario Martín from Universidad Complutense (UCM, Madrid); and Mauro Nisoli hosting the meeting from Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi). The assembly provided an opportunity to revisit the common goals and share the latest advancements achieved by each group.
During the first day, Maurizio Reduzzi, Marta Ortolan, Marta Pini and Rocio Borrego-Varillas (PoliMi) reviewed the ground principles of attosecond pulse generation, the experimental setup developments, as well as results from the tabletop X-ray beamlines, in contrast to experiments performed in synchrotron sources. Gilbert Grell, Joachim Galiana, Marc Alias and Juan Reino (IMDEA Nanociencia/UAM) presented the new theoretical developments and highlighted the insights revealed by the simulations. During the second day, Lorenzo Mai (PoliMi), Sergio Sánchez, Fernando Martín and Stefano Cavaletto (UAM) discussed the project in place for UV-pump and EUV probe measurements. Afterwards, Jesús Fernández, Javier Urieta and Jaime Alcolea (IMDEA Nanociencia /UCM) presented the experimental synthetic procedures followed by a discussion on the most suitable molecules for both measuring and modelling theoretically.
The meeting concluded with a visit to the laboratory facilities, located in the basement of the historic building of the Physics Department at Politecnico di Milano. Mauro Nisoli, Maurizio Reduzzi and Marta Ortolan showcased the extensive optical setup used for ongoing experiments. More than 50 square meters and several optical tables support the beamline of TomATTO photoemission spectroscopy that now is being further extended to incorporate measurements for absorption spectroscopy and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES).
EU based and EU funded
TomATTO is an ambitious scientific project that is capturing the ultrafast dynamics of electrons with the ultimate aim of improving the efficiency of organic molecules for solar cells. By observing, understanding and controlling the excitation of molecules in solar panels, researchers say, the performance of these devices could be improved, as they currently convert less than 25% of the solar energy they receive.
Over the course of the 6-year project, TomATTO researchers will overcome three major challenges: 1) record the first electronic processes initiated by light absorption; 2) design new organic materials to control the electronic dynamics; and 3) develop computational methods to rationalise the results. To this end, the research team of the TomATTO consortium, led by professors Fernando Martín (IMDEA Nanociencia, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Nazario Martín (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and Mauro Nisoli (Politecnico di Milano), joins forces in this synergistic project.
The TomATTO project, coordinated from IMDEA Nanociencia Institute, receives funding from the European Research Council through a Synergy Grant with a budget of 12 million €. Synergy Grants fund projects that address challenges so ambitious they cannot be tackled by a single group alone.
A synergy between 3 research groups
The collaboration between the 3 groups is essential for the advancement of the common goal: enhance the efficiency of solar energy conversion in solar cells. The complexity of TomATTO's main goal demands contributions from three specialties, with each working to address the challenges that arise when the key components are combined. The group of Nazario Martín contributes with their extensive expertise in organic synthesis and organic photovoltaics. They provide the molecules that Mauro Nisoli and his group are measuring at PoliMi. Nisoli’s group works at the forefront of attosecond techniques, applying them to measure the electron and charge dynamics in excited organic molecules. The rationale of the observations is contributed by Fernando Martín and his group, that compute the behaviour of the molecules under light excitation and compare these calculations with experimental measurements. Information such as how long does it take for an electron to initiate its movement after excitation, or what is the coordinated movement of the electrons with the atomic nuclei, are questions that F. Martín’s group, in collaboration with the groups of Nisoli and N. Martín, are answering throughout the project.
The pinnacle of TomATTO would be to manipulate the molecules to physical states that are beyond the chemistry processes they would naturally follow. By intervening at the very earliest stages of these processes, the project aims to enable control over chemical reactions, paving the way for entirely new paradigms in chemistry. With at least two more years ahead, the TomATTO project is well-positioned to deliver further groundbreaking results and continue pushing the boundaries of attosecond science and molecular engineering.
More information:
Contact:
Prof. Fernando Martín
fernando.martin (at)imdea.org
https://tomatto.eu/fernando-martin-team/
Oficina de Divulgación y Comunicación de IMDEA Nanociencia
divulgacion.nanociencia [at]imdea.org
Source: IMDEA Nanociencia.
IMDEA Nanociencia Institute is a young interdisciplinary research Centre in Madrid (Spain) dedicated to the exploration of nanoscience and the development of applications of nanotechnology in connection with innovative industries.
Related information: TOMATTO’s researcher Rocío Borrego explains in a recent interview for Radio Libertad the aim of TOMATTO project https://tomatto.eu/news/ https://go.ivoox.com/rf/145521812?utm_source=embed_podcast_new&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=new_embeds