Nanoparticles and nanocomposites applied to targeted applications sustainable energy, water remediation, and biomedical applications
Website conceptualization and administration: Erwan Rauwel
Research overview:
Sustainable energy, climate change mitigation, water remediation, and biomedical applications
Our research activities are in the frame of 5 UN sustainable development goals: Good health and well being, Cleaner water and sanitation, Affordable and cleaner energy, Climate actions, and Partnership for the goals. Our projects objectives fall in EU-decarbonized energy transition of 2050, and EU Green Deal principles of sustainability and green industry by promoting reusability of new technology and circular economy. Our research team regroups PhD students, researchers and professors from Estonian University of Life Science and Estonian Aviation Academy. Our main goal is to develop solutions based on nanotechnology to present societal problems related to climate change, energy and water scarcity and health.
Our research activities are presently mainly funded by the ETAg TEAM Grant (PRG2115), Thematic research and development programs from Estonian Ministry of Research / ETAg (TEM-TA144).
We are a material science and nano-engineering research group with the main research focus on metal oxide and metal nanoparticle synthesis. Our research group is more particularly interested by silver, cobalt, copper, copper nitride, zinc oxide, hafnium dioxide, and hybrid nanomaterials. The main targeted applications are sustainable energy, biocidal coatings, water purification, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, decrease of air freight carbon footprint, and biomedical application.
In addition to the conventional synthesis methods, green synthesis is an objective of ours. Team main expertise includes also thin film synthesis (ALD, MOCVD, PLD, sputtering), sol-gel chemistry, transmission electron microscopy and related techniques, vacuum techniques, CMOS technology, photoluminescence, scientific writing, research projects.
Our previous research activities were partially funded by the Estonian Centre of Excellence EQUiTANT TK134 (2015-2023), ETAg personal research funding PUT431 and EMÜ Bridge Funding (P200030VLVB) (2020-2024).
Latest updates
BREAKING NEWS!
Dr. Glemarie Hermosa published her first paper in the frame of the Tem-TA144 project in Materials Today Sustainability. This team work was performed report the use of a new type of additives in fuel that enable to reduce the toxic exhaust gas and improve the combustion process in gas turbine engines of airplane. This work was performed in collaboration with Estonian Aviation Academy, Taltech, KBFI and Minatec (Grenoble). Congratulations to the whole team for this great work and outcomes! You can find the manuscript here: « Green synthesized layered zinc tetrahydroxide bis nitrate as suitable nanoadditive for the reduction of NOx emissions in jet fuel. »
13/08/2026
Dr. Priyanka Panchal published a paper in the frame of the PRG2115 project in ACS Omega. The study describe the development of new photocatalysts combining graphitic carbon nitride with MgO nanoparticles for dye degradation. This work was performed in collaboration with the Estonian Aviation Academy, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology and Laboratoire Bioingénierie et Nanoscience (Montpellier). Congratulations to the whole team for this great work and outcomes! You can find the manuscript here: « Mechanistic Investigation of Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysis in Bio-Synthesized Graphitic Carbon Nitride/MgO Nanocomposites Toward Safranine Orange Dye. »
11/08/2026
Our research work outcomes related to the Tem-TA144 project have been highlighted in Novaator journal. Mme Airika Harrik wrote an articles “Frittimisest üle jäänud õli parandab lennukikütust” (Oil left over from frying improves jet fuel) that describe the research outcomes that were published in Materials Today Sustainability, and report the development of nano-additifs produced with used cooking oil aimed to be use in aviation fuel. This is a great news for the research team that our work is recognized by Novaator journal through an article of popular science that can be understood by everyone.
25/07/2026
Our research team participated to the GreenChem-26 conference related to Green Chemistry and Sustainable Enginering in Gran Canania, Spain. Prof. Protima Rauwel gave an oral presentation “Green-synthesised graphitic carbon nitride and layered zinc-based nanoadditives for cleaner sustainable aviation fuel combustion”, Dr. Glemarie Hermosa gave an oral presentation “Sustainable Pb Extraction from Contaminated Soil Using Nanostructured Surface Porous Foamed Glass”, Dr. Priyanka Panchal gave an oral presentation “Sustainable Plant Biowaste-Derived MgO/GCN Heterostructures for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants” and Dr. Laura Coconubo-Guio gave an oral presentation “Sand-Based Co@Co(OH)2 nanocomposites for lead and copper ions removal from contaminated water”. The presented results have raised the interest of the participants in the field of Sustainable Engineering for environmental applications.
15/06/2026
Dr. Muhammad Irfan received a Mobilitas 3.0 incoming postdoctoral grant(MOB3JD1519) to join our team and work in the frame of the Enzyme-Responsive DNA Hydrogels Embedding Sustainable Gold Nanoparticles from Arctic Mosses for Targeted Vaginal Fungal Biofilm Therapy. Congratulations and welcome Muhammad!
14/06/2026
Dr. Humaira Gul Zaman received a Mobilitas 3.0 incoming postdoctoral grant(MOB3JD1513) to join our team and work in the frame of the “Green Synthesis of Vinylene-Linked COFs for Photocatalytic Remediation of Emerging Contaminants. Congratulations Humaira and welcome!
26/05/2026
Our research team welcome two Master students from Master FAMEAIS (Functional Advanced Materials Engineering with Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability) of the Phelma Engineering school in Grenoble France. They will work on topics related to PRG2115 and Tem-TA144 during Summer. Welcome in our research team Fernanda and Younes!
22/04/2026
Dr. Hadid Sukmana received a Mobilitas 3.0 incoming postdoctoral grant(MOB3JD1303) to join our team and work in the frame of the Bio-Nano Water Remediation through the green synthesis of Co-ZnO nanocomposites for the dual-function of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation. Congratulations and welcome Hadid!
01/12/2025
Prof.Protima Rauwel has been interviewed by Nanomaterials editors to introduce the research focus and the key findings of the award-winning paper “Revealing the Dependency of Dye Adsorption and Photocatalytic Activity of ZnO Nanoparticles on Their Morphology and Defect States” published in Nanomaterials MDPI! Congratulations to Protima and all authors for this recognized research work.
31/10/2025
Congratulations to our collaborator Arsalan Akhtar who published a paper on the study of the role of defects on the properties of nanocomposites made from HfO2 nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes with our research team and through the NFFA-Europe framework (http://nffa.eu). The manuscript is published in Computational Materials Science:
“Interfacial electronic structure in hybrid HfO2 nanostructures“