Meet CarloCA-image2

Name: Carlo Alberto Amadei
Research interest: Energy dissipation at the nanoscale/hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity at the nanoscale/wetting phenomena
Email: carloalberto.amadei@gmail.com

 

Bio

Carlo Alberto graduated in 2012 from University of Modena and Reggio Emilia with a thesis focusing on concentrating solar tower. The project of the duration of 6 months was entirely carried out at Beijing University of Technology (China) and had been awarded with the first EPIS (Engineering Program for International Student) prize. During his Master Degree, Carlo Alberto also was a guest student at Danish Technical University where it strengthened his background in sustainable buildings and solar systems. Currently, Carlo Alberto, is pursuing his Interdisciplinary Doctoral Degree Program (IDDP), inside the Laboratory of Energy and NanoScience (LENS) under the supervision of Matteo Chiesa. His research is mainly focused on the consequences of nanoscale hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity for the realization of functionalized surfaces in renewable energy systems. Due to his personal interest in sustainable development and policies, Carlo Alberto is one of the members of the Young Future Energy Leader (YFEL) 2013.

 

Research Summary

More than 50 years ago, Richard Feynman foresees the nanotechnology  in one of its main talks ( “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”, 1959):

…What I want to talk about is the problem of manipulating and controlling things on a small scale….(R. Feynman, 1959)

Since Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was invented, thanks to its versatility, has allowed researchers in all fields to better understand the interaction between surfaces at the nanoscale. The interpretation of AFM results is not always straightforward, due to the uncertainties of the system and due to the fact that macroscopic physical laws may need to be re-addressed when dealing with  surfaces interaction at the nanoscale.

One of the key aspects regards the behavior of water at nanoscale; since water plays a crucial role in chemical process such as corrosion and it is fundamental element in all biological processes, it is not surprising that the study of water at the interfaces continues to be a subject of great interest in the research community.

My research is focused on the detection of water at the nanoscale with high spatial resolution. In order to achieve high spatial resolution, AFM is one of the best candidates. Moreover, by analyzing the different energy dissipation mechanisms between the tip and the sample surface is possible to detect footprints that might be related to water. In the future, the research study will possible lead to a correlation between nanoscale properties to macroscale properties (e.g. contact angle).

 

Publications

Amadei, C.A., et al., Simulation of GEMASOLAR-based solar tower plants for the Chinese energy market: Influence of plant downsizing and location change. Renewable Energy, 2013. 55(0): p. 366-373.

Under review:

  • Santos S.; Amadei C.A., Verdaguer A., Chiesa M., “Transitions in Nanoscale Phenomena and the Elusive Problem of Size“. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (under review).
  • Sergio Santos, Carlo A. Amadei, Tzu Chieh Tang, Victor Barcons, Matteo Chiesa. “Deconstructing the governing dissipative phenomena in the nanoscale”. Nanoscale (under review).