Research interests

My research focuses on nanomaterials, especially on transition metal dichalcogenides “TMDCs” (MX2; MoS2, WS2, MoSe2..). The synthesis of these nanosheets is done through liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) followed by liquid cascade centrifugation (LCC). These nanosheets (NS) were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and photoluminescence (PL) in addition to Raman and ultra-violet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopies. These nanomaterials are exploited to develop electrochemical and plasmonic sensors, in combination with gold nanoparticles, in order to take advantage of techniques like surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and photo-induced enhanced Raman scattering (PIERS), which allow to detect, both electrochemically and spectroscopically, low concentrations of analytes such as bio-molecules (folic acid, dopamine) and pesticides (Thiram). 

Now, I am involved in the ”PRIN 2022 FLASH 2D” project where I will investigate the features of the MX2 nanosheets by AFM technique to provide high-resolution imaging, determining the thickness and analyzing the defects. In addition to AFM, the MX2 NS will be studied using tip-enhanced spectroscopies (TEPL and TERS).

Keywords: TMDCs nanosheets, electrochemical sensing, SERS sensing, AFM, TERS