From 16 to 20 August 2026, the International Summer School on Semiconductor Nanocrystals took place in Haute-Nendaz, in the Swiss Alps. Two researchers linked to SUN-PERFORM attended and presented posters: Jasmin Fisher Balil (University of Amsterdam) and Saranya Subramanian (University of Palermo).
About the summer school
The school gave students and junior postdoctoral researchers a place to exchange ideas with their peers and with experts in the field. Every student presented a poster on their own research. Topics included how different nanocrystal materials are made, how their structure is characterised, and their optical and electronic properties. The programme also offered three excursions, from a short walk to a mountain hike.
The Swiss Chemical Society (SCS) Division of Materials Chemistry organised the school in collaboration with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network Track the Twin.
Red-emitting nanocrystals and non-toxic superparticles
Jasmin Fisher Balil presented an updated poster on SUN-PERFORM work: “Combining Stabilising Strategies for Red-Emitting CsPbI3 Nanocrystals for Spectral Conversion”. Saranya Subramanian, a PhD researcher at the University of Palermo working with SolarFoil, presented “Optically Active Superparticle Based On Non-toxic Colloidal Nanocrystal”. She has also contributed light-converting nanomaterials to SUN-PERFORM.
SUN-PERFORM explores how light-converting nanomaterials can improve the use of sunlight in photobioreactors, which are used to grow microalgae. Red light of 650–690 nanometres is well suited to microalgal growth. Nanocrystals made of caesium lead iodide (CsPbI3) can convert sunlight into red light, but red-emitting versions are known to be unstable. Jasmin’s poster showed three approaches that could be combined to address this: doping (adjusting the crystal composition), ligand engineering (modifying the molecules on the nanocrystal surface) and polymer encapsulation.