Tracking Nanomaterial Performance, Towards Digital Twins of Quantum Dots Under Loading

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Quantum dots (QDs) exemplify the successful transfer of innovative nanomaterials from a lab-scale invention to a technology that offers better and more power-efficient electronic devices, or makes buildings generate renewable energy. Such implementations, however, keep QDs under permanent loading, such as constant illumination, elevated temperature or exposure to environmental agents. Efforts to make QDs resilient against loading-induced ageing and loss of performance are time-consuming and costly. Track The Twin addresses this problem through a research and training program aimed at creating and using QD digital twins (QDDTs). Focused on the case of QDs under illumination, this goal creates an exceptionally rich environment to form a new cohort of early-stage researchers (ESRs) in nanomaterials. Trained as experts in the latest methods of synthesis, structure analysis and time-resolved spectroscopy – from infrared to x-ray - and computational materials science, ESRs will learn to join forces to reach the common goal of demonstrating loading-resilient QDs synthesized according to best QD structures as predicted by the QDDTs. To facilitate such a collaborative endeavor, all ESRs will be trained to use and co-develop a common data platform and they will be permanently exposed to the diversity of environments needed to implement together a QDDT. Thanks to the deep collaboration between word-leading academic beneficiaries and start-up companies in nanomaterials and computational chemistry, scientific training is complemented by extensive transferrable skills training. Moreover, the timeliness of the research and training topic – digital twins in materials science - enables the consortium to implement a proactive outreach strategy, which extends from a personal outreach activities of the ESRs to QD technology broadcasting to reach a broader field of industrial actors and policy makers and ensure the network has lasting impact on nanomaterials research and innovation.