1.5 Million Euros for Young FAU Scientist
Prof. Dr. Jana Zaumseil from FAU’s Department of Polymers Science has been awarded a prestigious research grant and will receive funding of almost 1.5 million euros. The scientist is part of a small group of young researchers who have been awarded one of the highly coveted ‘Starting Independent Researchers Grants’ and will now be supported by the European Research Council (ERC) for the next five years. ERC provides funding to promising young researchers to give them the chance to establish their own research groups and to pursue research projects with great innovative potential.
The research project
Prof. Zaumseil’s project bears the title EN-LUMINATE. Its aim is to improve the luminosity and energy efficiency of organic light diodes. To do so, Prof. Zaumseil uses plasmonic nano antennae and minute gold particles with a diameter of approximately 10 to 100 nanometres. Similar to radio antennae which amplify radio waves, the nano antennae amplify the light waves in the diodes making them brighter. In the future, organic light diodes could be used in smartphone and computer displays or in optical communication circuits.