Master thesis: IMPLS to Enable Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Our lab is developing a promising technique, Intensity-Modulated Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (IMPLS), which can probe the dynamic electronic and ionic behavior of perovskite materials purely optically. In this project, you will explore the potential of IMPLS to study perovskite solar cells. By performing temperature-dependent IMPLS measurements across a broad frequency range, the characteristic tim
Master thesis: Cathodoluminescence tomography in the scanning electron microscop
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities In this project we will use the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to perform Cathodoluminescence spectroscopy (CL) at high spatial resolution (1-5 nm) to reconstruct complex 3D nano-geometries, with the goal of using CL spectroscopy as a tool to perform high-resolution tomography in the SEM. We will use a newly developed rotational stage that allows us to probe the nanoparticles at excitation angles
Master thesis: Building Self-Powered Perovskite Detectors for In-Sensor Computin
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities In-sensor computing offers a revolutionary paradigm by processing data directly within a sensor using brain-inspired analog computing. However, current in-sensor computing detectors face complexity, cost, and scalability challenges. In this project, you will fabricate nanostructured electrode networks, deposit perovskite layers, and characterize small device arrays, including tests of self-powered ope
Master thesis: Autonomous synthesis and characterization of thin films
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Automated thin-film fabrication, particularly spin coating systems integrated with robotic handling and high throughput characterization now enable the synthesis of hundreds of samples per day, exceeding 500 samples in HELIOS setup built at AMOLF. Producing so many samples requires preparing many precursor solutions with different compositions, which can become a major bottleneck in automated workflow
Master thesis project: Imaging chemical reactions in an optical fiber
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities This project focuses on the design of novel light-driven chemical reactors. This project focuses on using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) to image the water splitting activity at TiO2 nanoparticles. You will evaluate the impact of direct vs near-field excitation of these particles by monitoring oxygen evolution. This interdisciplinary project integrates optical setups and simulations to
Master thesis:Studying the effect of light trapping structures
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Physics
Work Activities Light trapping structures on thin film c-Si have shown a strong increase in absorbance, linked to a high photocurrent generation, which should lead to more efficient devices. However, disentangling the effect of an increase in absorption and possible increased recombination at the light trapping structure is difficult. In this project, we aim to study single resonators up to whole patterns combining drift-diffusion models and a new characterisation method: local surface photovoltage in our own atomic force microscope. Qualifications We can only offer the project if: • you are c
Master thesis: Pressure-dependent band-bowing in tin-lead perovskites
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Chemistry
Work Activities Lead-tin perovskites enable wide bandgap-tunability for all- perovskite tandem solar cells. Whereas the lattice parameter of tin-lead perovskites varies linearly between the pure Sn and Pb end members, the band gap evolves nonlinearly, exhibiting pronounced bowing. The origin of this band- bowing effect is still unknown. In this project, you will study how pressure affects the band-bowing. Applying pressure alters bond lengths and octahedral tilts, therefore changing the orbital overlap that determines the band gap. Pressure thus provides a way to probe how structural effects c
Master thesis: Perovskite nano-resonators for optical neuromorphic computing
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Physics
Work Activities Mixed-halide perovskite nano-resonators offer a promising platform for highly responsive tunable elements for advanced photonic applications. This project focuses on fabricating and characterizing mixed halide perovskite nanostructures whose optical behavior can be changed through controlled halide segregation. You will pattern and synthesize nano-resonator arrays, measure their optical responses, and evaluate their suitability for light-driven operations relevant to neuromorphic computing and optical memory. The project aims to establish mixed halide perovskite resonators as v
Master thesis: Optimization Strategies for Novel Materials
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Engineering
Work Activities Advances in Artificial intelligence have accelerated the prediction of new materials, while laboratory automation has increased the speed at which these materials can be synthesized. Automated thin-film fabrication pipelines, such as robotic spin-coating systems integrated with high-throughput characterization, can now produce hundreds of samples per day. However, for newly predicted materials the optimal synthesis conditions are usually unknown. The goal of this project is to develop and test optimization strategies to identify suitable synthesis conditions for novel perovskit
Master thesis: LED/laser annealing of perovskites for roll-to-roll processing
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Engineering
Work Activities In this project, you will study if laser/LED can be used to control the crystallization dynamics of perovskites for solar cells, using confocal laser scanning microscopy, secondary electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence. You will spin-coat perovskites using a programmable robot (spinbot), which allows rapid fabrication of thin films with different types of recipes. In addition, you will use our new slot-die coater, a deposition technique closely related to industrial roll-to-roll processing. This provides an opportunity to explore how light- based annealing methods can be
Master thesis: Imaging the activity of plasmonic electrocatalysts
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Chemistry
Work Activities Plasmonic nanoparticles exhibit diverse effects under light exposure, such as enhancing electric fields and forming short-lived charged species, with applications in nanomedicine and photocatalysis. Here, you will investigate plasmonic nanoparticles for next-generation electrocatalytic reactors by using scanning electrochemical microscopy. This technique is a new type of scanning probe microscopy that can help understand the working mechanism in plasmonic chemistry. Qualifications We can only offer the project if: • you are currently enrolled in a Master’s program in physics, c
Master thesis: IMPLS to Enable Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Physics
Work Activities Our lab is developing a promising technique, Intensity-Modulated Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (IMPLS), which can probe the dynamic electronic and ionic behavior of perovskite materials purely optically. In this project, you will explore the potential of IMPLS to study perovskite solar cells. By performing temperature-dependent IMPLS measurements across a broad frequency range, the characteristic timescales of slow processes can be extracted and analyzed to estimate activation energies associated with ion migration or trap- related processes. The outcome of this work aims to e
Master thesis: Cathodoluminescence tomography in the scanning electron microscop
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Physics
Work Activities In this project we will use the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to perform Cathodoluminescence spectroscopy (CL) at high spatial resolution (1-5 nm) to reconstruct complex 3D nano-geometries, with the goal of using CL spectroscopy as a tool to perform high-resolution tomography in the SEM. We will use a newly developed rotational stage that allows us to probe the nanoparticles at excitation angles from -50 to +50 degrees, and measure both the topography and the spectral information recorded as a function of angle. This approach allows us to move towards tomographic reconstru
Master thesis: Building Self-Powered Perovskite Detectors for In-Sensor Computin
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Engineering
Work Activities In-sensor computing offers a revolutionary paradigm by processing data directly within a sensor using brain-inspired analog computing. However, current in-sensor computing detectors face complexity, cost, and scalability challenges. In this project, you will fabricate nanostructured electrode networks, deposit perovskite layers, and characterize small device arrays, including tests of self-powered operation using the perovskite's light-harvesting properties. By combining low-cost fabrication with flexible, compact designs, the project aims to develop a new class of motion senso
Master thesis: Autonomous synthesis and characterization of thin films
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Engineering
Work Activities Automated thin-film fabrication, particularly spin coating systems integrated with robotic handling and high throughput characterization now enable the synthesis of hundreds of samples per day, exceeding 500 samples in HELIOS setup built at AMOLF. Producing so many samples requires preparing many precursor solutions with different compositions, which can become a major bottleneck in automated workflows. In this project, we investigate the feasibility of dynamically mixing precursor solutions during the spin-coating process rather than preparing each composition beforehand. You
Master thesis project: Imaging chemical reactions in an optical fiber
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Chemistry
Work Activities This project focuses on the design of novel light-driven chemical reactors. This project focuses on using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) to image the water splitting activity at TiO2 nanoparticles. You will evaluate the impact of direct vs near-field excitation of these particles by monitoring oxygen evolution. This interdisciplinary project integrates optical setups and simulations to advance TIRF microscopy's role in studying photochemical processes. Qualifications We can only offer the project if: • you are currently enrolled in a Master’s program in physics,
Master thesis: Stabilizing Gold Nanoparticles with Core-Shell Architectures
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) exhibit plasmonic properties that enable strong light-matter interactions, making them promising candidates for photothermal catalysis. However, their optical response is highly sensitive to particle shape and therein lies a key stability challenge: GNPs begin to reshape at temperatures around 200 °C, which progressively alters their plasmonic characteristics and degrades the
Master thesis: Quantifying Surface Chemistry with Single-Particle Plasmonic Sens
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Plasmonic nanoparticles are highly sensitive to their local environment. Small changes within a few nanometers of the particle surface can already lead to measurable shifts in their optical response, making them promising nanoscale sensors. In this project, you will use a single-particle dark-field scattering setup to measure the optical spectra of individual gold nanoparticles. By correlating these m
Master thesis: Probing Interfaces in Plasmonic Gold-Titania Nanorods
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities Hybrid plasmonic-semiconductor nanoparticles combine strong light absorption in metals with longer- lived charge carriers in semiconductors, making efficient hot-electron injection across the metal- semiconductor interface key for applications such as photocatalysis. In this project, you will study and engineer the interface between gold nanorods and a TiO₂ shell. Crystalline TiO₂ improves charge- tra
Master thesis: Nanopatterning of molecules for bio- and photovoltaic application
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Work Activities The goal of this project is to develop a nanocontact printing technique to create nanopatterned films of organic molecules for biotech and photovoltaic applications. Nanopatterning of organic molecules has topography great potential for enhancing the power conversion efficiency of metal halide perovskite-based solar cells. Conventional patterning techniques, such as UV or e-beam lithography, often use