Harvesting solar power is a crucial element in the shift towards sustainability. However, many factors can significantly reduce the effectiveness of solar panels. One major challenge is keeping them clean, as dust and sand can build up and block sunlight over time. Could nature provide a solution for protecting solar panels?
MMD FinnCERES: Energy
Projects of the Multifunctional Materials Design research group funded by FinnCERES (theme Energy)
Highlights:
Aalto Virtual Exhibitions | Time Out! Rethinking Construction (Designs for a Cooler Planet 2023)
Creating solar cells and glass from wood – or a billion tons of biowaste
Researchers map out how biomass from plants could replace unrenewable resources in optical applications
FinnCERES is a competence centre, jointly formed by Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in the area of materials bioeconomy. Its mission is to harness the natural properties of lignocellulose to create new sustainable materials.
FinnCERES programme is enabled by: Aalto University, VTT, Academy of Finland and its Flagship Programme.
The Multifunctional Materials Design group is conducting research under the FinnCERES theme 'Electronics, Optics and Energy Applications'. We aim to approach the research challenges from different angles.
Project STORAGE: Stable and Sustainable Organic Radical Battery
Project team
FinnCERES.fi
FinnCERES.fi
Yazan Al Haj, Doctoral Candidate
"My research work focuses on the development of flexible energy storage and conversion devices using bio-based resources. I currently work on the conversion of daily biowaste, animal bones and brewery residues into more valuable materials, such as porous carbon and cellulose nanocrystals. Porous carbon will be used as an electrode material, whereas cellulose nanocrystal will be used as a host matrix for the formation of the hydrogel electrolyte for flexible supercapacitors."
Hamidreza Daghigh Shirazi, Doctoral Candidate
"In my doctoral research, I am focusing on improving the lifetime and efficiency of solar cell substrates by means of organic light management layers. For this purpose, my work currently involves translation of leaf structures into functional hierarchical surfaces. As a result, tunable substrate surface with self-cleaning and icephobic properties can be made by combining, for instance, leaf replication, all-optical patterning of azopolymers, and coating with hydrophobic nanoparticles."
Publications
Seyed Mehran Mirmohammadi*, Hamidreza Daghigh Shirazi, Miika Heikkilä, Sami Franssila, Jaana Vapaavuori, Ville Jokinen*
2024
Small
Fevzihan Basarir, Yazan Al Haj, Fangxin Zou, Swarnalok De, An Nguyen, Alexander Frey, Ijlal Haider, Veikko Sariola, Jaana Vapaavuori
2024
Advanced Functional Materials
Hamidreza Daghigh Shirazi, Karl M.O. HÃ¥kansson, Tiffany Abitbol, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2024
Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects
Yujiao Dong, Fangxin Zou*, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2024
Carbohydrate Polymers
Tao Zou, Erfan Kimiaei, Zahra Madani, Muzaffer A. Karaaslan, Jaana Vapaavuori, Johan Foster, Scott Renneckar, Monika Österberg*
2024
Materials Advances
Hamidreza Daghigh Shirazi, Seyed Mehran Mirmohammadi, Seyede Maryam Mousavi, Magnus Markkanen, Janne Halme, Ville Jokinen, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2024
Communications Materials
Yazan Al Haj, Ahmed B. Soliman, Jaana Vapaavuori*, Mady Elbahri*
2024
Advanced Functional Materials
Joice Jaqueline Kaschuk, Yazan Al Haj, Joaquin Valdez Garcia, Aleksi Kamppinen, Orlando J. Rojas, Tiffany Abitbol, Kati Miettunen, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2024
Carbohydrate Polymers
Swarnalok De, Hoang M. Nguyen, Fangxin Zou, Fevzihan Basarir, Maryam Mousavi, Kristiina Mäkinen, Mauri A. Kostiainen*, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2024
Advanced Materials Interfaces
Swarnalok De, Hoang M. Nguyen, Ville Liljeström, Kristiina Mäkinen, Mauri Kostiainen*, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2023
Virology
Isaac Benito-González, Jose Cucharero, Yazan Al Haj, Tuomas Hänninen, Tapio Lokki, Marta MartÃnez-Sanz, Amparo López-Rubio, Antonio MartÃnez-Abad, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2022
Advanced Sustainable Systems
Fevzihan Basarir, Joice Jaqueline Kaschuk, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2022
Biosensors
Yazan Al Haj, Seyedabolfazl Mousavihashemi, Daria Robertson, Maryam Borghei, Timo Pääkkönen, Orlando J. Rojas, Eero Kontturi, Tanja Kallio, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2022
Chemical Engineering Journal
Valentina Guccini*, Josphat Phiri, Jon Trifol, Ville Rissanen, Seyede Maryam Mousavi, Jaana Vapaavuori, Tekla Tammelin, Thaddeus Maloney, Eero Kontturi
2022
ACS Applied Polymer Materials
Joice Jaqueline Kaschuk, Yazan Al Haj, Orlando J. Rojas, Kati Miettunen, Tiffany Abitbol, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2022
Advanced Materials
Julius Gröndahl, Kaisa Karisalmi, Jaana Vapaavuori*
2021
Soft Matter
Engagement activities
Related events
Related events
Media & SoMe
Past events
Sustainable Materials Research Summit - Helsinki, FINLAND
25 April 2024 | Hybrid event: Paasitorni, Helsinki & Online. This event, organized by the FinnCERES Flagship and Aalto Bioinnovation Center, brings together top experts to highlight the societal impact of innovative bio-based materials.
The FinnCERES Ecosystem Event of 2023 brings together top experts from both industry and academia to discuss the central questions of industrial scale applications of advanced bio-based materials.
FinnCERES Scientific Seminar 2022: Back to Fundamentals - Fibre, Water & Interactions
The FinnCERES Scientific Seminar 2022 Back to Fundamentals - Fibre, Water & Interactions will explore the full potential of bio-based raw materials. This year we will focus on how to fully harness the inherent properties of all the lignocellulosic fractions to develop new bio-based and bio-inspired materials.
Contact information:
Accountable project leader: Prof. Jaana Vapaavuori (jaana.vapaavuori@aalto.fi)
Project researchers:
Yazan Al Haj (yazan.alhaj@aalto.fi)
Hamidreza Daghigh Shirazi (hamidreza.daghighshirazi@aalto.fi)
Project page on the Research Aalto portal:
Related content:
Multifunctional Materials Design
Group led by Professor Jaana Vapaavuori
FinnCERES
FinnCERES, competence center for materials bioeconomy, is a Flagship for our sustainable future.
World-leading research on bio-based materials continues in Finland
The Academy of Finland continues to support the FinnCERES materials bioeconomy Flagship with a significant funding of up to 10.7 M€ for 2022-2026. Over 6 M€ of the funding has been officially confirmed and the final grant will be announced early 2025.
SUBSTAINABLE project
Multifunctional, high performance cellulose-based substrates for photovoltaics and optoelectronics
