Vidi grants for Erik Garnett and Yves Rezus

AMOLF group leaders Erik Garnett and Yves Rezus have received an NWO Vidi grant. NWO has awarded 87 experienced researchers a Vidi grant worth 800,000 euros. The grant enables them to develop their own innovative line of research.

Research summary:

Yves Rezus Biomolecular Photonics
How to keep a healthy shape
Prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob and mad-cow disease, are dangerous neurodegenerative disorders caused by the misfolding and aggregation of the protein PrP. This protein causes a deadly chain reaction in the brain because, when it misfolds, it stimulates the misfolding and aggregation of healthy copies of PrP. We will use advanced laser-spectroscopic techniques to study the molecular mechanism underlying these diseases. Understanding this mechanism is important as it will provide an insight into possible treatments.

Erik Garnett Nanoscale Solar Cells
NanoBricks: Building monocrystalline optoelectronics from welded nanocubes
In order to reach a high conversion efficiency, solar cells must be made from perfect crystals with a specific shape.  Today, this is typically accomplished by starting with a large crystal and cutting it into the preferred form, which wastes material and damages the surface. The NanoBricks program will take an entirely different approach, building up perfect crystals with the desired shape by assembling and welding together nanocubes.