Show Phase II projectsShow Phase III projects

VP2 - Novel Materials Applications

Vertical Project 2, Novel Materials Applications, is devoted to the application of quantum simulations, enhanced sampling methods and materials informatics to the high-throughput design of materials of materials with novel properties, in the domain where techniques like density functional theory provide already predictive accuracy. Major objectives of VP2 are the development of novel materials for energy and the environment, information-and-communication technologies, and the characterization of the properties of organic crystals relevant to the electronics or pharmaceutical industry. 

Group Leaders

Ursula Röthlisberger
Project leader
EPFL, Lausanne
Alfredo Pasquarello
Group leader
EPFL, Lausanne
Nicola Marzari
Director
EPFL, Lausanne
Clémence Corminboeuf
Deputy director
EPFL, Lausanne
Daniele Passerone
Project leader
Empa, Dübendorf
Wanda Andreoni
Group leader
EPFL, Lausanne
William Curtin
Project leader
EPFL, Lausanne
Mathieu Luisier
Project leader
ETHZ, Zürich

The VP2 project is focusing on four grand-challenge problems, which 
consist in identifying optimal materials for solar cells, for water-splitting catalysts, for solid-state ionic conductors, and for low-dimensional materials. Each of the research teams involves researchers from VP2, from the horizontal projects of MARVEL, and experimental partners. All projects are growing towards material searches on databases through the AiiDA platform (PP6). The scientific output achieved so far is impressive. However, the full potential of VP2 still lies ahead, as the synergies continue to grow and the material searches enter an operative phase.