Professor Nunzio Motta
Faculty of Science,
School of Chemistry & Physics
Biography
As a physicist, I am interested in searching for answers to the fundamental questions of nature. In 1991 I was the first scientist in Italy to achieve atomic resolution in Ultra High Vacuum by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. Even today, I am still fascinated by the fact that we are able to look at, and move, individual atoms on surfaces. I love to see how they arrange in ordered structures and form materials with incredible properties, when we set the right growth conditions. I study also their microscopic composition and their chemical bonds with a range of spectroscopy techniques using laboratory sources and synchrotron radiation. My dream is to create materials to improve our environment, using our powerful nanotechnology tools to develop new electronics, advanced energy storage devices, and gas sensors.Education
- PhD, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, 1986
- BE (Hons I) in Physics, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 1981
- Surface Science, Materials science, Nanotechnology
- 2D Materials, Graphene, Semiconductors
- Gas Sensors, Supercapacitors
- A Novel Multilevel Modelling Framework to Design Diamond Nanothread Bundles. Chief investigator: Y.T. Gu. Funding Source: ARC. Funding: $ 422,883 Year 2020;
- High Power Radio Frequency Shielding using Modern Materials. Chief Investigator: N.Motta. Funding Source: Defence Science and Technology Group (DST)(AUS). Funding: $ 69,248. Year 2020.
- Distributed Sensing Systems for Smart Cities. Chief Investigator: N.Motta. Funding Source: CSIRO. Funding: $ 129,788. Year 2018.
- Xe-plasma dual beam for advanced future materials. Chief investigator: N.Motta. Funding Source: ARC. Funding: $ 1,100,000. Year 2018.
- National Facility for Nanoscale Characterisation of Luminescent Materials. Chief Investigator: Matthew Phillips. Source: ARC. Funding: $ 542,000. Year 2018.
- Establishing Advanced Networks for Air Quality Sensing and Analyses. Chief Investigator: L.Morawska. Funding source:ARC. Funding: $ 445,000. Year 2016-2018.
- Graphene Based Thin film supercapacitors. Chief Investigator: N. Motta. Funding source: QLD government - Chinese Academy of Science. Funding: $ 125,000. Year 2016-2018.
- Encapsulating Quantum Dots into ZnO Nanorods for Advanced Photonics and Laser Applications Chief Investigators: N.Motta. Funding source: AOARD. Funding US$ 100,000. Year 2014-2016 (2 years).
- 2015-Present: Professor, Queensland University of Technology , Faculty of Science, School of Chemistry and Physics.
- 2010-2015: Principal research fellow, Queensland University of Technology , Science and Engineering Faculty, School of Chemistry Physics and Mechanical Engineering.
- 2004-2009: Adjunct Associate Professor, Queensland University of Technology, School of Engineering Systems
- 2001-2004: Associate Professor, Università Roma TRE, Department of Physics
- 1984-2001: Assistant professor, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Department of Physics
Personal details
Positions
- Professor
Faculty of Science,
School of Chemistry & Physics
Keywords
Epitaxy, Growth, Nanotechnology, Graphene, 2D Materials, Quantum Dots, Semiconductors, Solar Cells, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Ultra High Vacuum technology
Research field
Condensed Matter Physics, Nanotechnology, Materials Engineering
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa)
Professional memberships and associations
Teaching
Service
- Academic Lead Learning and Teaching, School of Chemistry and Physics
Teaching areas
- General Physics
- Atomic and molecular physics
- Solid State Physics
- Nanotechnology
Units
- PVB203 Experimental Physics (Sem 1)
- PVB301 Materials and Thermal Physics (Sem 1)
- PVB321 Introduction to Experimental Nanotechnology (Sem 1)
- PVB101 Physics of the very large (Sem 2)
- PVB304 Physics Research (Sem 2)
- PVB322 Advanced Nanotechnology (Sem 2)
Experience
Supervision of HDR students Prof. Nunzio Motta currently supervises PhD and MSc students in the following areas:
Growth and characterization of 2D Materials
- Hybrid 2D materials synthesis for nanoelectronics and photovoltaics applications. Graphene based heterostructures, combining graphene with other two dimensional materials, have been recently proposed in order to overcome the limitation of graphene in 2D electronics. The hybridisation of graphene with other two dimensional materials opens up the possibility of engineering the band gap and realising synthetic two-dimensional alloys and topological insulators. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2021, 2100963. Applied Surface Science 552, 149303 (2021), Scientific Reports 10, 17334 (2020) PhD projects available in this area.
- Graphene synthesis on SiC nanostructures for next-generation electronics and gas sensing. This project aims at studying the growth of Graphene obtained by heating crystalline SiC nanostructures at high temperature (1200-1350 C) in Ultra High Vacuum. The aim is to understand and master the growth mechanism, in order to obtain a seamless single graphene sheet on nanostructures suitable for electronic and sensing. References: Nanotechnology 2018, 30 025704, Nanotechnology 2018, 29 145601 , Growing Graphene on semiconductors, Nanotechnology, 2017, 28 (34), p. 345602. Carbon, 2015, 98, pp. 307-312. Carbon, 2015. 91(0): p. 378-385. Carbon, 2014. 68: p. 330-336. Carbon, 2014. 68: p. 563-572. PhD projects available in this area.
Supercapacitors, Energy storage
- Carbon Based Supercapacitors Supercapacitors can provide a higher power density but a smaller energy density compared to traditional chemical batteries, which make them very attractive for applications where instantaneous power is required. We are working at high performance supercapacitors by using all carbon electrodes. References: Adv. Mater. 2021, 33, 2004560. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 2019, 17, 42 , Nanotechnology, 2016. 27(16): p. 165402, Journal of Power Sources, 2015. 274: p. 823. PhD projects available in this area.
Gas sensing
- Electrospun and 2D nanomaterials for gas sensing. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2021, 2100579. PhD projects available in this area.
Professional service
- Associate editor for: Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology, Advanced Device Materials, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology.
- Referee for the International reviews: Applied Physics Letters, Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology, Nanotechnology IOP, J Phys D, ACS-Nano, Nano letters, Advanced Functional Materials, Sensors, Scientific Reports, Carbon
- Referee for French PhD theses (INSA-Lyon, Universitè J.Fourier-Grenoble)
- Assessor for research proposals: ARC ; CEA (france); NSERC (Canada); Qatar foundation,
Conference organization
- Organising committee Wagga wagga 42nd Condensed Matter and Materials Meeting, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 30 January – 02 February 2018.
- Conference Chair NanoS-E3 International School and Workshop, Brisbane, QLD, 26-29 September 2017.
- Conference Chair NanoS-E3 International School and Workshop, Kingscliff, NSW, 26-29 September 2015.
- Conference Chair NanoS-E3 International School and Workshop, Arlie Beach, QLD, 15 – 20 September, 2013.
- Conference Chair NanoS-E3 International School and Workshop, Kingscliff, NSW, 12-13 september 2011
- Conference Chair NanoS-E3 International School and Workshop, Couran Cove, QLD 23-28 September 2007
Publications
- Jayaramulu, K., Horn, M., Schneemann, A., Saini, H., Bakandritsos, A., Ranc, V., Petr, M., Stavila, V., Narayana, C., Scheibe, B., Kment, Š., Otyepka, M., Motta, N., Dubal, D., Zboril, R. & Fischer, R. (2021). Covalent Graphene-MOF Hybrids for High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors. Advanced Materials, 33(4). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/209059
- Horn, M., Singh, A., Alomari, S., Goberna-Ferrón, S., Benages-Vilau, R., Chodankar, N., Motta, N., Ostrikov, K., MacLeod, J., Sonar, P., Gomez-Romero, P. & Dubal, D. (2021). Polyoxometalates (POMs): from electroactive clusters to energy materials. Energy and Environmental Science, 14(4), 1652–1700. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/209041
- Liu, B., Bo, R., Taheri, M., Di Bernardo, I., Motta, N., Chen, H., Tsuzuki, T., Yu, G. & Tricoli, A. (2019). Metal-Organic Frameworks/Conducting Polymer Hydrogel Integrated Three-Dimensional Free-Standing Monoliths as Ultrahigh Loading Li-S Battery Electrodes. Nano Letters, 19(7), 4391–4399. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/200337
- Christensen, B., Dunbabin, M., Gao, J., Hagler, G., Jayaratne, R., Kumar, P., Lau, A., Louie, P., Mazaheri, M., Ning, Z., Motta, N., Mullins, B., Rahman, M., Ristovski, Z., Shafiei, M., Tjondronegoro, D., Westerdahl, D., Williams, R., Morawska, L., Thai, P., Liu, X., Asumadu-Sakyi, A., Ayoko, G., Bartonova, A., Bedini, A. & Chai, F. (2018). Applications of low-cost sensing technologies for air quality monitoring and exposure assessment: How far have they gone? Environment International, 116, 286–299. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/118213
- Piloto, C., Shafiei, M., Khan, H., Gupta, B., Tesfamichael, T. & Motta, N. (2018). Sensing performance of reduced graphene oxide-Fe doped WO3 hybrids to NO2 and humidity at room temperature. Applied Surface Science, 424, 126–133. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223277
- Zhao, Y., Liu, J., Wang, B., Sha, J., Li, Y., Zheng, D., Amjadi Pour, M., MacLeod, J. & Motta, N. (2017). Supercapacitor electrodes with remarkable specific capacitance converted from hybrid graphene Oxide/NaCl/Urea Films. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 9(27), 22588–22596. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/108242
- Mishra, N., Boeckl, J., Motta, N. & Iacopi, F. (2016). Graphene growth on silicon carbide: A review. Physica Status Solidi (A) Applications and Materials Science, 213(9), 2277–2289. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/95994
- Zarotti, F., Gupta, B., Iacopi, F., Sgarlata, A., Tomellini, M. & Motta, N. (2016). Time evolution of graphene growth on SiC as a function of annealing temperature. Carbon, 98, 307–312. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/92122
- Gupta, B., Notarianni, M., Mishra, N., Shafiei, M., Iacopi, F. & Motta, N. (2014). Evolution of epitaxial graphene layers on 3C SiC/Si (1 1 1) as a function of annealing temperature in UHV. Carbon, 68, 563–572. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/63272
- Notarianni, M., Vernon, K., Chou, A., Aljada, M., Liu, J. & Motta, N. (2014). Plasmonic effect of gold nanoparticles in organic solar cells. Solar Energy, 106, 23–37. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/65280
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Nunzio, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Chairman of the NanoS-E3 School and Workshop (Nanotechnology for Sensor, Electronics Energy and Environment) 2007-2011-2013-2015-2017. The NanoS-E3 School and Workshop is an established periodic meeting bringing together leading international researchers to present their activities and foster cooperation in the field of nanotechnology, focussing in the areas of sensors, electronics, energy and environment.
- Type
- Other
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Order of the Star of Italy: this distinction, which qualifies as a second civilian honor of the State, represents a particular honor on behalf of all those, Italians abroad or foreigners, who have acquired special merit in the promotion of friendly relations and cooperation between Italy and other countries and the promotion of ties with Italy.
- Type
- Editorial Role for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2013
- Details
- Associate editor for Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology
- Type
- Fellowships
- Reference year
- 2013
- Details
- Queensland International FellowshipMicroscopic studies of new gas sensing materials for solar powered nanosensors.Funding 3 months Scientific visit to University of Roma Tor Vergata
Selected research projects
- Title
- A Novel Multilevel Modelling Framework to Design Diamond Nanothread Bundles
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP200102546
- Start year
- 2020
- Keywords
- Title
- Establishing Advanced Networks for Air Quality Sensing and Analyses
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP160100051
- Start year
- 2017
- Keywords
- Title
- A novel multiscale modelling technique to explore mechanical deformation of nanowires in high-performance devices
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP130102120
- Start year
- 2013
- Keywords
- Nanowire; Multiscale modelling; Surface effect
- Title
- Development of gas selective membranes (for intra-ruminal capsules)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 01200.006
- Start year
- 2013
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
- Epitaxial growth of 2D heterostructures for two dimensional electronics
- Low cost, long life metal-ion capacitors and supercapacitors for renewable energy storage
- Growth and characterisation of epitaxial graphene for electronic and sensing applications
- Two dimensional heterostructures on SiC for new electronics
- Metal polymer batteries and supercapacitors for renewable energy storage
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Carbon Nanomaterials for Room Temperature Gas Sensing (2016)
- Epitaxial Graphene Growth on 3C SiC by Si Sublimation in UHV (2015)
- Synthesis and Applications of Carbon Nanomaterials for Energy Generation and Storage (2015)
- Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of Graphene Oxide-Polymer Nanocomposites (2015)
- Development of Gas Sensing Technology for Ground and Airborne Applications Powered by Solar Energy: Methodology and Experimental Results (2014)
- An exploratory study of the potential of resurfacing articular cartilage with synthetic phospholipids (2013)
- Controlled Synthesis of Inorganic Semiconductor Nanocrystals and their Applications (2013)
- Controlled Growth of Carbon Nanotubes for Electronic and Photovoltaic Applications (2011)
- Optical and microscopic study of a polymer-nanotube mixture for organic photovoltaic applications (2010)
- Carbon nanotubes for organic electronics (2008)