The Route Materials – made in Holland is actively participating in composing a National Research Agenda Materials – made in Holland, with input from all stakeholders at universities, NWO institutes, TTOs, Universities of Applied Sciences and the Dutch Materials Industry. To complete the National Agenda it is important to include an estimate of the impact of materials research on the national economy (gross domestic product), earning capacity and the number of jobs it creates. We intend to outsource this study to Roland Berger Company. By including the results of the Roland Berger study the National Agenda will significantly gain in strength and relevance. This will benefit the entire materials research community in the Netherlands. The Report will also help materials researchers in the Netherlands to form consortia on well-targeted topics in order to apply for grants from the NWA.

Silicon Germanium (SiGe) semiconductors are mainstream for the transistors in your smartphone and PC. Unfortunately, SiGe has an indirect bandgap, thus preventing efficient light absorption, thus requiring a thick solar cell. In this project, we investigated hexagonal SiGe which, due to its direct bandgap, is capable to efficiently absorb light. The large light absorption allows for a thin film solar cell that is also capable to efficiently emit light, which is required for high efficiency solar cells. In this project, we investigated the light emission and we developed lenses to reduce the photon entropy loss.

Modern transmission electron microscopes now can routinely visualize materials all the way down to the atomic level. At the same time, recent developments in nanophotonics and plasmonics make it possible to concentrate light nearly to the atomic scale within picoseconds, opening up unprecedented control over where, when and how energy is injected into a material. SHINE will bring light directly into the transmission electron microscope to enable us to watch solar harvesting materials transform at the atomic level under relevant operating conditions.

Gun shots release dust particles which generally contain lead. The lead in these gunshot residues (GSR) offers opportunities for forensic studies. Also, because lead is a potent toxin, lead in GSR may pose health threats for regular shooters. Analysis of lead in GSR is therefore of great importance for forensics and occupational safety. We unexpectedly found a method to detect lead by converting lead into a light emitting semiconductor. Together with relevant potential stakeholders, we will explore if, and how, this new lead detection method can impact GSR studies, to maximize the social impact of this serendipitous discovery.

Halide perovskite semiconductors are the most exciting new materials for solar cells, LEDs, optical computing and neural networks, but their widespread commercialization is still limited by their intrinsic instability. This is a result of the mobile ions inherent to the ionic semiconductor. Here we will develop a novel way to make the ions “sing” in response to light, revealing information about processes normally only accessible with electrical measurements. This purely optical method provides additional spectral information, simple spatial and depth mapping as well as contact free analysis which will help accelerate commercialization and thus the energy transition.