Marco Faustini – Exploring the chemical space and structural diversity of porous materials made by colloidal self-assembly

Sorbonne Université

Functional porous materials play a pivotal role in several energy and environmental related applications. The effectiveness of these materials largely depends on our ability to shape them at various scales while maintaining control over their composition. During this presentation, I will discuss our recent endeavors in shaping porous materials with complex compositions, including oxides, metals, High Entropy Alloys, and Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), employing innovative techniques based on confined self-assembly of colloids and lithography at multiple scales.

The goal of our research is to rationally combine the properties of (nano)materials, including composition, reactivity, conductivity, high porosity, sorption selectivity, and capillary condensation, with ordered or disordered structures  for fundamental studies and applications in various fields such as electrocatalysis, photonics, thermal regulation, and sensing.

Several strategies will be discussed: (i) confined colloidal self-assembly into droplets and (ii) into elastomeric nanomolds, (iii) self-ordering of cracks in colloidal films. Examples of application of these systems will be presented ranging from electrocatalysis for Oxygen Evolution Reactions in PEM electrolysers, thermal sensing and management or photonics.