http://dx.doi.org/10.5206/wurjhns.2014-15.7
Western Faculty Profile:
and
WURJHealth
Natural Sciences
Dr. Giovanni Fanchini
Background
Dr. Giovanni Fanchini is an Assistant Professor in the Department of
Physics and Astronomy at Western University. He also holds the Canada
Research Chair in Carbon-based Nanomaterials and Nanooptoelectronics.
He is currently developing novel organic and carbon-based
nanomaterials to increase solar cell performance. Dr. Fanchini teaches
both undergraduate and graduate level courses in physics as well as
supervises undergraduate and graduate students.
Vivian Tan, a WURJHNS representative, had the pleasure to interview
Dr. Giovanni Fanchini to learn more about his career in research.
Tell us about yourself and your career path.
I started my studies as an engineer, completing both my undergraduate and master’s degrees
in nuclear engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin in Italy. Towards the end of my third year,
after taking more physics courses such as quantum mechanics and solid state physics, I developed a
deeper interest in condensed matter and materials physics. I completed my PhD in physics in 2003 and
went on to a post-doctoral position in materials science and engineering at Rutgers University in New
Jersey, working in carbon materials. Immediately before joining Western in 2009, I worked for a year
as a research scientist in Australia, developing new types of solar cells from advanced organic and
carbon materials at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
Why did you choose physics? What sparked your interest in carbon-based materials?
There are a lot of fascinating things about the world around you that you can only understand
with condensed matter and materials physics. For example, why are metals shiny, while wood is not?
Why is snow white? Why can’t you put metal in a microwave oven? How can we convert light into an
electrical current? This can all be explained by studying how atoms connect together from a microscopic
point of view.
I became interested in the physics of carbon-based materials because carbon is a necessary
component of everything we see living around us. Everything living is made out of carbon, even you
and I. When I started my PhD in 2000, the discipline was also undergoing tremendous development.
The discovery of fullerene (a spherical molecule made entirely out of 60 carbon atoms), which was
awarded the Nobel Prize in 1996, prompted the development of an increasingly larger family of carbon
nanomaterials. In 1999, carbon-nanotubes (graphite layers wrapped into cylinders) were discovered.
In 2005, the most common solid entirely made out of carbon, graphite (a collection of sheets arranged
into 3D structure) was reproducibly isolated into grapbhene (a single layer of carbon atoms with a 2D
structure) and this discovery was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010.
Western Undergraduate Research Journal: Health and Natural Sciences
Volume 5 – Winter 2015
1
http://dx.doi.org/10.5206/wurjhns.2014-15.7
and
WURJHealth
Natural Sciences
What is the main research focus of your lab?
I am interested in translating a new generation of carbon-based nanomaterials from the realm
of fundamental physics into applications in sustainable energy, biomedical coatings and environment
protection. I have a more applied interest, maybe because of my engineering background.
For example, computer touch screens require transparent conductors. In the past, only rare and
expensive metals such as indium were transparent and had conducting properties, but now graphene
can be turned into a transparent conductor, which is energy-efficient and much more cost-effective.
Some of the other applications of carbon-based nanomaterials include thermal sinks which require
outstanding thermal conductivity to efficiently evacuate heat from electronics or water filtration to
produce clean water and eliminate industrial waste.
What kind of research have you done and what are you working on now? Where do you see
your research ultimately going?
I started my research at Western in 2009 to make solar cells out of graphene. Solar cells have
to be made more cost-effective and efficient to compete with oil. If we concentrate light into the device,
the efficiency of the solar cell will increase – twice the amount of light in the same area will ideally
double the current generated. Using a big lens could concentrate the light but would increase the size
of the device. Our solution to this problem is to use nanomaterials to build a large array of small
antennas onto the solar panel to increase the amount of absorbed electromagnetic radiation.
However, building this array of antennas must be done without detriment to the cost. These
antennas must be electrically conducting and thus have to be made with metals. Unfortunately, most
metals tend to oxidize, and in general, the only metals that have resistance to oxidation are precious
ones, such as gold. We are currently trying to minimize the amount of gold needed to make the nanoantennas, to keep costs low. The amount of gold we are using is now negligible with respect to the cost
of our solar panel. The goal is to make portable solar cells that are flexible enough to be rolled up to
easily charge devices on the go.
We are working on developing new techniques to gain a better understanding of the materials
we put in the solar panels, to make them more efficient and less defective.
What made you choose Western University as opposed to other academic institutions?
Western has very strong core facilities for materials science in general and for the study of their
surfaces and interfaces in particular. Specifically, there are at least four large-scale facilities for
materials science at Western that makes it unique in Canada: Surface Science Western, the Biotron,
the Nanofabrication Facility and the Tandertron Particle Accelerator.
The materials science community at Western has a very strong reputation and is very
interdisciplinary as well. For example, the development of energy materials includes many overlaps of
many departments including physics, chemistry, earth science and engineering. The community does
not focus on a specific niche of applications, but is very flexible and follows the trends over the years.
In your opinion, what qualities would make one an excellent researcher?
I think it is a combination of qualities. First, it is the ability to lead the field by recognizing where
the breakthrough is – for example, what type of material will make a difference? Secondly I find
important the ability to communicate your research, passion and enthusiasm to the youth and help them
develop their own ideas. Thirdly, I find that nowadays the ability to be interdisciplinary is really
underestimated. It is important for communities to both specialize in as well as see what is around them,
to put their research in a broader prospective. For example, if you develop a great new material, you
also need to work with others to develop new applications for it. This involves overcoming barriers such
Western Undergraduate Research Journal: Health and Natural Sciences
Volume 5 – Winter 2015
2
http://dx.doi.org/10.5206/wurjhns.2014-15.7
and
WURJHealth
Natural Sciences
as language – scientists, medical specialists and engineers have very different best practices and
languages in their respective fields. It is virtually impossible nowadays to find someone like Leonardo
da Vinci, who knows a little bit of everything.
What qualities do you look for in a potential research assistant?
I think critical thinking is important for everybody interested in getting involved in research.
Research training encourages people to be inquisitive and challenge themselves to stimulate their
natural curiosity. They should not take things for granted and ask themselves questions about the world
around them. It is also important for students to acquire practical hands-on skills, especially in
experimental research. A potential research assistant should be a good problem solver and be able to
work out solutions in their own way, whether it is by building a device or doing a calculation. This
depends a lot on not being afraid of the truth and having the determination and persistence to keep on
going until the problem is solved in a satisfactory way.
What do you believe will be the future of research in nanomaterials?
In the next few years, the role of nanomaterials in sustainable materials, such as solar and water
filtration, will grow. In the near future, I see research focusing on processing nanomaterials on a larger
scale inexpensively and effectively. A longer term goal is to understand the human body and biological
matter at the nanoscale level. To do this, we will need to develop more advanced ways of characterizing
and visualizing nanomaterials to determine their functions in a more sophisticated way.
To read more on Dr. Fanchini’s research, please visit his website at:
http://www.physics.uwo.ca/~gfanchin/
Western Undergraduate Research Journal: Health and Natural Sciences
Volume 5 – Winter 2015
3