Nanolab

The Max-Planck-EPFL Joint Lab is focusing on the bottom-up fabrication and characterization of nanostructures and molecular assemblies with atomic precision.

The interactions in molecular assemblies and their response to external stimuli are governed by dynamic energy and/or charge transfer processes. Applying molecular nanoscience and technology to molecular nanosystems offers a unique potential to unravel the mechanisms underlying these exchange and coupling processes. With recent advances of supramolecular chemistry, a huge library of molecular structures of increasing complexity and chemical functionalities is available for the self-assembly of a vast range of structures at the surface. This permits engineering novel materials and their study by state-of-the-art surface science techniques like scanning tunnelling microscopy. The multilevel approach of the joint lab allows an atom-by-atom trip to the core of hybrid materials and aims to understand and engineer relevant chemical processes starting from the single molecule level all the way to 2D and 3D systems.

Responsible Scientist:             Dr. Magali Lingenfelder

Open Post-doc/PhD Positions: H2020 732840–A-LEAF.

We are excited to coordinate the surface science work package of the EU project A-LEAF, one of the biggest artificial photosynthesis research projects funded by the European Commission.  

A-LEAF is a multidisciplinary Project that brings together materials chemistry, computational chemistry, surface physics, engineering and state-of-the-art characterization techniques. The final objective of the consortium is the validation of a prototype able to transform CO₂ into added-value products in a sustainable and cost-efficient way to be transferred to the European industry.

 This proposal offers many exciting challenges to apply our state-of the-art methods to characterize new catalytic surfaces. We have all the experimental power and the expertise in surface science to undertake these challenges.  If you are a highly motivated scientist with experience in electrochemical STM, do not hesitate to send me your application (magali.lingenfelder@epfl.ch).

Key Publications:

Yunchang Liang, Karla Banjac, Kévin Martin, Nicolas Zigon, Seunghwa Lee, Nicolas Vanthuyne, Felipe Andrés Garcés-Pineda, José R. Galán-Mascarós, Xile Hu, Narcis Avarvari, and Magalí Lingenfelder
Enhancement of electrocatalytic oxygen evolution by chiral molecular functionalization of hybrid 2D electrodes
Nat. Commun. 13 (2022) 3356
Article

Thanh Hai Phan, Karla Banjac, Fernando Cometto, Federico Dattila, Stefan Raaijman, Chiunmiao Ye, Marc Koper, Nuria Lopez, and Magalí Lingenfelder
Emergence of Potential-Controlled Cu-Nanocuboids and Graphene-Covered Cu-Nanocuboids under Operando CO₂ Electroreduction
Nanoletters 21 (2021) 2059-2065
Article

Bart Stel, Ilja Gunkel, Xiodan Gu, Thomas Russell, James J De Yoreo, and Magalí Lingenfelder
Contrasting chemistry of block copolymer films controls the dynamics of protein self-assembly at the nanoscale
ACS Nano 13 (2019) 4018-4027
Article

Fernando P. Cometto, Zhi Luo, Shun Zhao, Jimena A. Olmos-Asar, Marcelo M. Mariscal, Quy Ong, Klaus Kern, Francesco Stellacci, and Magalí Lingenfelder
On the van der Waals interactions of n-alkanethiol-covered Surfaces: From planar to curved surfaces
Angewandte Chemie 56 (2017) 16526-16530
Article

F. Cometto, K. Frank, B. Stel, N. Arisnabarreta, K. Kern, and M. Lingenfelder
The STM bias voltage-dependent polymorphism of a binary supramolecular network
Chem.Commun. 53, 11430-11432 (2017)
Article

Javier D. Fuhr, Maarten W. van der Meijden, Lucila J. Cristina, Luis M. Rodríguez, Richard M. Kellogg, J. Esteban Gayone, Hugo Ascolani, and Magalí Lingenfelder
Chiral expression of adsorbed (MP) 5-amino[6]helicenes: from random structures to dense racemic crystals by surface alloying
Chem. Commun. 53, 130-133 (2017)
Article

Shern-Long Lee, Yuan Fang, Gangamallaiah Velpula, Fernando P. Cometto, Magalí Lingenfelder, Klaus Müllen, Kunal S. Mali, and Steven De Feyter
Reversible Local and Global Switching in Multicomponent Supramolecular Networks: Controlled Guest Release and Capture at the Solution/Solid Interface
ACS Nano 9 (12), 11608 (2015)
Article

Fernando P. Cometto, Klaus Kern, and Magalí Lingenfelder
Local Conformational Switching of Supramolecular Networks at the Solid/Liquid Interface
ACS Nano 9 (5), 5544 (2015)
Article

Rico Gutzler, Sebastian Stepanow, Doris Grumelli, Magalı́ Lingenfelder, and Klaus Kern
Mimicking Enzymatic Active Sites on Surfaces for Energy Conversion Chemistry
Acc.Chem.Res. 48, 2132 (2015)
Article

Hugo Ascolani, Maarten W. van der Meijden, Lucila J. Cristina, J. Esteban Gayone, Richard M. Kellogg, Javier D. Fuhr, Magalí Lingenfelder
Van der Waals interactions in the self-assembly of 5-amino[6]helicene on Cu(100) and Au(111)
Chem.Comm. 50 , 13907 (2014)
Article

Y. Wang, M. Lingenfelder, S. Fabris, G. Fratesi, R. Ferrando, T.Classen, K. Kern and G. Costantini,
Programming Hierarchical Supramolecular Nanostructures by Molecular Design.
J. Phys. Chem. C 117 (7), 3440-3445 (2013)
Article

Pietro Gambardella, Sebastian Stepanow, Alexander Dmitriev, Jan Honolka, Frank de Groot, Magalí Lingenfelder, Subhra Sen Gupta, D.D. Sarma, Peter Bencok, Stefan Stanescu, Sylvain Clair, Stefan Pons, Nian Lin, Ari P. Seitsonen, Harald Seitsonen, Johannes V. Barth and Klaus Kern,
Supramolecular control of the magnetic anisotropy in two-dimensional high-spin Fe arrays at a metal interface,
Nature Materials 8, 189 (2009)
Article

M. Lingenfelder, G. Tomba, G. Costantini, L. Colombi Ciacchi, A. De Vita, and K. Kern
Tracking the Chiral Recognition of Adsorbed Dipeptides at the Single Molecule Level,
Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed. 46, 4492 (2007)
Article