The development of nano-sized electrical components is critical if society is to fully realise the potential of a truly interconnected, networked world.
Professor Francesca Iacopi is a firm believer that good things come in small packages.
A researcher in the UTS School of Electrical and Data Engineering, Iacopi has spent more than 20 years working in the field of miniaturisation of electronics and its revolutionary potential.
But unlike many of her colleagues, Francesca has come to academia from a non-traditional path, having spent most of her working life in industry before joining Griffith University and being awarded an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in 2012.
Professor Francesca Iacopi (photographer: Andy Roberts)
Two years ago she moved her laboratory to UTS, in part drawn by already established relationships with colleagues, but also by the university’s reputation.
I was attracted by the progressive image of this university and the fact it is growing and there really is a vision was something I really felt very close to.
So when the opportunity came up I was very happy to move over.
— Professor Francesca Iacopi, UTS School of Electrical and Data Engineering
Iacopi believes her background in industrial research and development roles influences her commitment to translational outcomes.
“Having worked in R&D, I did research but I did a lot of development and that is something I really still love,” she says. “I want to achieve something that is applicable in industry – that has always been my angle.”
Iacopi is well on the way to achieving that goal with her groundbreaking research in graphene, a form of pure carbon that is one of the thinnest, lightest and strongest materials known to humankind.
The Italian-born engineer won a global award for her development of a materials system that can embed graphene-based microdevices on silicon wafers through a process that can be adapted for large-scale manufacturing.
At UTS she is harnessing that technology in the development of the smart sensors required to underpin society’s move to a truly interconnected and networked world.
Iacopi believes every corner of our lives will be touched by the technology she is part of the race to build.
“There is not a single area in our lives where the internet of things (IoT) is not going to have an impact,” says Francesca.
From health to surgical operations to monitoring of air and water quality in real time to connectivity among people to transport logistics, the internet of things is really pervasive because there is no single area that is not going to be affected.
— Professor Francesca Iacopi
However that vision will only be realised if researchers like Francesca can develop the nano-hardware that will make these sensors possible.
“These sensors are smart in that they not only can sense, but can also do some processing, are energy efficient, have some storage capacity in their node and can transmit ad potentially encrypt, data,” Francesca says.
“There are challenges every day because every single component has to be miniaturised and still work efficiently.”
Francesca is particularly focused on finding ways for the sensors to harvest and store energy – a process that is among the most difficult to miniaturise because the smaller size limits the amount of energy that can be stored.
Together with her UTS team and colleagues, she is developing a graphene-based micro supercapacitor that can result in high performance storage so the sensor can operate continuously with potential for remote charging.
“At the moment I’m very excited about our micro supercapacitors … we have solved a few of the important challenges but there is still a lot to be tackled.” Francesca is determined to see the potential of graphene demonstrated in high-end applications.
“That’s what keeps us going,” she says. “There are so many possibilities and it is hard especially when you enter the application side and it doesn’t go as fast as you’d like. So you have to be resilient in that way, but it is exciting.
Research team
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Professor, School of Electrical and Data Engineering
Faculty
- School of Electrical and Data Engineering
