Data-Driven Glass Science

The research interests of Prof. de Camargo's team are diverse. On one hand, long term expertise on the design, synthesis, characterization, and structural-property correlations on optical single and composite materials is employed in the search for improved performance in luminescent and photonic applications. Past and current research topics include but are not limited to:

• Oxide and oxyfluoride glasses and glass ceramics doped with trivalent rare earth ions and/or containing plasmonic metallic nanostructures, or crystalized semiconductor phases. 
• Phosphor in glass (PiG) composites: Luminescent/persistent luminescent silicates, alumino-silicates, fluorides, etc., embedded in oxides (silicates, phosphates) glassy hosts. 
• Inorganic or hybrid host-guest sol-gel materials: Mesoporous silicate or organo-silicate hosts incorporated with highly luminescent dyes and triplet emitting organometallic complexes.
• Nanoparticles: Core-shell infrared-to-visible upconversion (naked or target-functionalized), semiconductor quantum dots, plasmonic nanostructures, Pb-free double halide perovskites.

On the other hand, in connection to her role at BAM and FSU, to lead and contribute to joint efforts in building a comprehensive digital and automated infrastructure for accelerated glass production, new opportunities are raised. Besides contributing to the implementation of the technical and digital infrastructure for synthesis and inline characterization of glasses at BAM, which supports industry in the development of novel glass products, a particular focus is to use this infrastructure to discover glasses with improved mechanical strength.

The group is part of the Otto-Schott Institute of Materials Research at the  Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences of the  Friedrich Schiller University and also of the Federal Institute for Materials Research and TestingExternal link (BAM). We are also affiliated to the  Abbe Center of Photonics in Jena.