Dr Alessandro Grillo
Research Fellow at University of Manchester
Materials Science · Nanotechnology · Optoelectronics
Using materials only a few atoms thick as his building blocks, Alessandro Grillo is exploring new and more sustainable ways to power the electronic technologies of the future.
From wearable devices to environmental sensors and smart tags, electronics are becoming part of almost every aspect of everyday life. As these devices become smaller, more widespread and more mobile, finding sustainable ways to power them is an increasingly important challenge. Alessandro’s research explores how ultrathin materials interact with light, and how these interactions could open up new ways to capture, store and use energy. He wants to help everyday electronics make better use of the available energy around them and rely less on conventional power sources.
Alessandro describes himself as having a kind of “materials X-ray vision”, looking beyond devices to see what they are made of, how they were made and whether there might be a better way to design them. He considers materials, energy and electronics together from the outset: how a device works, where its energy comes from, how efficiently it uses that energy, and how simply and sustainably it can be made.
By combining emerging materials with manufacturing approaches that can work at scale, he aims to help create a future in which the growing presence of electronics in our lives comes with a smaller environmental footprint, proving that innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand.
