Projects

• Perovskite Nanodot Superlattices: Artificial Quantum Materials
• q-LIMA: Light–Matter Interactions in Quantum 2D Materials
• Q-META: Quantum-Enhanced Multidimensional Platform for Glioblastoma Metabolism
• Supersonic Cluster beam synthesis of Innovative TRansition metal Oxides PHotoelectrodes for HYdrogen production (SCI-TROPHY)

q-LIMA is a national project, funded under the Italian MUR PRIN 2020 program, aimed at exploring how light can control the quantum properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene and transition-metal dichalcogenides.
By integrating these atomically thin materials into optical cavities, the team investigates how strong light–matter coupling can induce collective phenomena — including superradiance and even light-enhanced superconductivity. Using ultrafast spectroscopy, ILAMP researchers observe quantum coherence and non-equilibrium dynamics on femtosecond timescales, revealing how photons reshape electronic interactions in solids.

Q-META is a project dedicated to uncovering how mechanical cues within the tumor microenvironment drive the progression of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), one of the most aggressive and complex brain tumors.
By combining quantum-enhanced imaging with advanced 3D bioprinted tumor models, the project overcomes the limitations of standard approaches. On one front, FLIM and stimulated Raman spectroscopy are boosted through quantum illumination, providing higher sensitivity and lower phototoxicity for real-time, in vivo monitoring of metabolic reprogramming. On the other, a bioprinted 3D GBM model, integrating immune cells and extracellular-matrix components, recreates the architecture and complexity of the native tumor microenvironment.
Bringing these innovations together, Q-META establishes a multidimensional, quantum-empowered platform for functional studies of GBM metabolism, opening new avenues for understanding tumor progression and identifying future therapeutic targets.

Sustainable human activities call for efficient devices converting renewable energies (e.g. sunlight) to fuels such as H2. A very promising approach is photoelectrochemical water splitting: electron/hole pairs generated at two photoelectrodes (PE) drive the half-reactions producing H2 and O2. The state of the art PE built with ternary metal oxides (TMOs) like CuFe2O4 face major limitations like scant efficiency, photocorrosion and instability. They are ascribed to the low charge transfer induced by the small polarons due to the TMO hybrid valence band orbitals, and to the high recombination rate of charge carriers at the TMO surface and bulk states. Moreover, the current PE synthesis methods hinder a comprehensive investigation of different TMO phases, stoichiometries and transport properties for sizes below 50 nm.