CHARMING’s research builds on the heralded properties of 2D and 1D carbon nanomaterials – i.e. graphene and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) – for conveying unprecedented features, in terms of practicability, sensitivity and optical functionality, to (i) novel lab-on-fibre plasmonic biosensor devices and to (ii) novel fibre based second harmonic generation microscopy probes. The overall objective is to develop a new technological platform that enables tailored systems for applications in the field of biomedical sensing and imaging.
CHARMING is therefore situated in the field of bio-photonics, on the crossroads of specialty optical fibre based technologies and of graphene and SWCNT material processing, for both bio-functionalization and nonlinear optical functionalization, with end applications in bio-detection and imaging.
CHARMING started 1st January 2018 and will end 31st December 2021. The total project budget is EURO 3.6 million.
The following Belgian universities team up to achieve CHARMING’s objectives: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universiteit Antwerpen (UA), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Université de Mons-Hainaut (UMONS). The consortium is supplemented with two Polish institutes: Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) and the Institute of Electronic Materials Technology (ITME).
CHARMING is an Excellence of Science (EOS) project. The EOS-programme wants to promote joint research between researchers in the Flemish and French-speaking community in Belgium, by funding joint fundamental research projects in any scientific discipline. More information about the EOS programme can be found here: http://www.eosprogramme.be/
CHARMING's website is http://www.eos-charming.be