Tomorrow, on 23 August 2017, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) researcher Bianca Rita Pistillo will receive the renowned Scientist Medal 2017 by the International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) in Stockholm.

In recognition of her outstanding research on the deposition of a conducting polymer called PEDOT, LIST researcher Bianca Rita Pistillo will be honoured with one of the most prestigious awards in the worldwide advanced materials community: the Scientist Medal 2017.

The award is in addition to Pistillo’s invitation to present her paper at the European Advanced Materials Congress 2017, on 23 August in Stockholm. The International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) issuing this Medal is the main international network and interest group for researchers in advanced materials.

Pistillo’s IAAM-acclaimed research focuses on a deposition technique of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), an almost transparent conducting polymer that possesses several inherently advantageous properties, such as low oxidation potential and moderate bandgap combined with good stability in the oxidized state. Together with Kevin Menguelti, the engineer with whom she shared this challenging research line, Pistillo has demonstrated the LIST proprietary technique named “Plasma radicals assisted polymerization” via CVD (PRAPCVD) as an efficient alternative to conventional vapour based techniques to deposit conjugated polymers.

As a result of its unique properties, PEDOT deposited via PRAP-CVD could consequently be easily applied to products in several markets including medical, sports, military and energy. One of the main advantages is that this deposition process is completely dry, opening the possibility of processing solvent-sensitive substrates such as paper, thus overcoming the effects of rinsing on the underlying films in the case of multilayer structures.

Bianca Rita Pistillo’s team also demonstrated a unique ability of PRAP-CVD in depositing high conformal films on complex 3D substrates. This will allow to expand the application of PEDOT to highly structured surfaces such as fibers and fabrics.

The research was conducted at LIST’s Materials Research and Technology department within the Visible Light Nanocomposite Photocatalysts (VISICAT) project, funded in part by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) through its INTER and AFR PDR funding schemes.