Lab'InSight Surface Treatments & Solar Energy - Focus on the Photovoltaic Electricity Sector - 21.11.2013

1. Division of Bio & Soft Matter (BSMA) Institute of Condensed Matter and
Nanosciences (IMCN)
Université catholique de Louvain
Watching the Lab’s video
Prof. Alain M. Jonas
Full professor
Lab’Insight « Surface treatments & Solar energy » Brussels, Nov. 21, 2013
Brussels – 21st November 2013
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2. Fields of expertise
and industrial targets
Fields of expertise
• Treatments of surfaces, or deposition of organic coatings,
to provide functional properties to surfaces
• Advanced characterization of surfaces & films :
microscopy, spectroscopy, reflectometry,…
• Patterning
Industrial applications fields
• Examples of interacting companies :
AGC, Baxter, Corning, EADS, IMEC, Ineos, L’Oréal,
Solvay, Sonaca,…
Brussels – 21st November 2013
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3. One example among many applied research projects
Self-cleaning anti-reflection coatings
made by a water-based process
Tailor micro- and nanoroughness
Super-hydrophobicity
Modify surface chemistry
(hydrophobic)
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4. One example among many applied research projects
Self-cleaning anti-reflection coatings
made by a water-based process
Glass or
metal
Adhesion
layer
Glass beads :
Tune roughness
Fluorinated layer :
Tune chemistry
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5. One example among many applied research projects
Self-cleaning anti-reflection coatings
made by a water-based process
Spraying
aqueous solutions
Dipping in
aqueous bathes
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6. One example among many applied research projects
Self-cleaning anti-reflection coatings
made by a water-based process
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7. One example among many applied research projects
Self-cleaning anti-reflection coatings
made by a water-based process
No coating
Coated
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8. Special equipments
Characterization of surfaces
→ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Secondary ion mass spectrometry
→ X-ray reflectometry, Spectroscopic ellipsometry, Contact angle,…
→ Electron microscopy, Atomic force microscopy (many modes)
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9. Special equipments
Modification of surfaces
→ Self-assembled (grafted or adsorbed) monolayers
→ Layer-by-layer assembly & multilayers
→ Polymer brushes
→ Dipping, spraying, spin-coating,…
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10. Services provided to companies
Examples
→ Analysis of surfaces and interfaces of samples
→ Short-term projects (less than 3 months)
→ Long-term projects (in-depth investigation of a problem; development
of a solution;…)
→ Internships in lab for acquiring a specific expertise (on-demand)
→ Links to CerTech, a more service oriented research center which is
part of a mixed research unit with BSMA.
Materials
Environment
Process Intensification
Brussels – 21st November 2013
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11. CONTACTS
Université catholique de Louvain /
Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences (UCL/IMCN)
Bio & Soft Matter (BSMA)
Croix du Sud 1 L7.04.02; Louvain-la-Neuve 1348
http://www.uclouvain.be/bsma
Prof. Alain Jonas
Full Professor, past chair
Alain.jonas@uclouvain.be - Phone : +32 10 47 3765
Prof. Bernard Nysten
Full Professor, elected chair
Bernard.nysten@uclouvain.be - Phone : +32 10 47 3104
Brussels – 21st November 2013
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