Biography

About Ursel
Ursel Bangert is Bernal Chair in Microscopy and Imaging at the University of Limerick, following positions of Reader and Lecturer at the Universities of Manchester and Surrey, and a career of more than 30 years in the area of electron microscopy. She has been heavily involved in the conception and managerial activities of Electron Microscopy Facilities at Liverpool (NorthWest STEM; Co-I) and at Daresbury (SuperSTEM; Co-I), and has been overseeing the Manchester University School of Materials Electron Optical facilities. She is currently building up an International Centre for Ultra-High Resolution Imaging and Characterisation at the University of Limerick, where she obtained funding for a world-class Titan Themis double corrected, monochromated, analytical transmission electron microscope with in-situ measurement capabilities. Ursel Bangert's research activities concentrate on investigations of microstructure and growth phenomena and related plasmonic and opto-electronic properties of materials, especially semiconducting and low-dimensional nano-materials, having lead to sustained research output (280+ papers including Nature papers, Review Articles, Perspectives, Book Chapters and refereed conference papers, not including 60 or so un-refereed conference papers). She has contributed prolifically at national and international conferences, delivered numerous invited talks and seminars (details can be found on Scopus). She has pioneered low loss electron energy loss (EEL) spectroscopy for highly spatially resolved electronic structure studies in wide bandgap semiconductors and diamond as well as single atom spectroscopy of carbon nanotubes. Since its discovery she has worked on Graphene (and other 2-Ds discovered shortly thereafter), carrying out electron microscopy in the Manchester Graphene Group (A. Geim, Nobel Prize 2010), and was first to conduct atomic resolution HAADF imaging and morphology studies via electron diffraction, as well as electron energy loss spectroscopy on this material. Her intention and vision has been and is to use top-of-the-range Electron Microscopy instrumentation to see and understand materials on the atomic scale, i.e., to further the topic of highly spatially resolved (single atom) imaging in combination with atomic scale spectroscopy so as to access/assess the electronic and optical properties of materials, in particular of nano-materials (novel 2-, 1- and 0-dimensional materials), and to furthermore combine this with in-situ techniques, so as to directly follow the atomic-scale behaviour of such materials. e.g., under electrical bias or in chemical-atmosphere conditions. All this will serve fundamental research, and exploration of practical use of these nanostructures in photo-emission, sunlight harvesting and photovoltaics, with the aim of designing prototype devices.

Research Interests

Ursel Bangert's current research is focussed on fundamental investigations of the local dependence of opto-electronic properties and tailoring thereof, in 1D semiconductor assemblies, carbon nanotubes, graphene and other novel 2-D materials, e.g., transition metal dichalcogenides and MXene, aiming at practical use in photo-emission, optical enhancers, wave guides, photovoltaics, quantum metrology and at design of prototype devices.

She has pioneered work in ultrahigh resolution high angle dark field imaging of graphene (first to show atomic-scale impurity and defect behaviour, e.g., metal-atom mediated graphene etching and healing), in tailoring plasmon characteristics of graphene, and in single atom spectroscopy (first to demonstrate ‘spectroscopic fingerprinting' of controllably introduced foreign atoms in nano-carbons, i.e., revealing simultaneously chemical bonding configuration and lattice position of a single impurity atom. This was achieved by new developments in sub-Ǻ imaging and analytical electron microscopy (EELS) at the Daresbury SuperSTEM. Furthermore, electron energy loss spectroscopy at ultra low loss energies (valence band EELS) provided first evidence of the impact of microstructural defects on the local electronic bandstructure when combined with theoretical backup (ab initio calculations) through collaboration with theoretical groups (e.g., at Exeter and Leeds University).

Application-oriented research objectives concern tailoring and tuning of the opto-electronic properties of novel 2-D versions of dichalcogenides (including materials with negative plasmon dispersion for direct light coupling) and of MAX phases (MXenes ->unknown territory) through controlled physical and chemical functionalisation via ion beam modification. The same approach is taken with carbon nanotubes for applications in optical enhancers, wave guides, photonic and light harvesting devices as well as for integration into semiconductor electronics. Ion beam modification has also been applied for doping silica/Si-nanoscrystal systems with rare-earth elements to achieve light emission and thereby develop silicon photonics technologies.

Past research has included establishing the role of defects in the ageing and failure mechanisms of semiconductor devices. Further to the academic aspect, the investigations were aimed at trouble shooting in real devices in order to cut market losses of, e.g., semiconductor lasers. This entailed exploring electron microscopies/ spectroscopies with ultra high spatial resolution and to apply these to materials of wide and medium bandgaps enabling spatially resolved chemical and electronic structure studies, via EELS, of self-organized growth phenomena in strained III-V semiconductor hetero systems and SiGe. Thus a universal roughening transition curve (temperature versus strain) and strain driven compositional segregation in semiconductor quantum wells, wires and dots could be established. Furthermore, bandgap states at extended defects in wide band gap semiconductors, diamond and perovskites and surface plasmon phenomena in nanocarbons, semiconductor and metal nanospheres could be revealed.

A persisting goal is to improve the energy resolution in electron spectroscopy and to combine electron microscopy with simultaneous optical excitation and detection, which will enable in-situ assessment of a material's electronic bandstructure on the nanoscopic scale

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

2017

Spark-Discharge Plasma as a Method to Produce Low AC Loss Multifilamentary (RE)Ba<inf>2</inf>Cu<inf>3</inf>O<inf>7</inf>Coated Conductors

Mitchell-Williams, T.B. and Baskys, A. and Guo, Y. and Hopkins, S.C. and Bangert, U. and Molodyk, A. and Petrykin, V. and Gömöry, F. and Frolek, L. and Glowacki, B.A. (2017) Spark-Discharge Plasma as a Method to Produce Low AC Loss Multifilamentary (RE)Ba<inf>2</inf>Cu<inf>3</inf>O<inf>7</inf>Coated Conductors. IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

2015

Atomic-scale insights into 1D and 2D nano-materials

Bangert, U. and Pierce, W. and Boothroyd, C.B. and Migliorato, M. and Pan, C.-T. and Harvey, A.J. and Kepatsoglou, D.M. and Ramasse, Q.M. (2015) Atomic-scale insights into 1D and 2D nano-materials. Journal of Physics: Conference Series

2014

Atom-by-atom STEM investigation of defect engineering in graphene

Ramasse, Q.M. and Kepapstoglou, D.M. and Hage, F.S. and Susi, T. and Kotakoski, J. and Mangler, C. and Ayala, P. and Meyer, J. and Hinks, J.A. and Donnelly, S. and Zan, R. and Pan, C.T. and Haigh, S.J. and Bangert, U. (2014) Atom-by-atom STEM investigation of defect engineering in graphene. Microscopy and Microanalysis :1736-1737

2013

Mobile metal adatoms on single layer, bilayer, and trilayer graphene: An ab initio DFT study with van der Waals corrections correlated with electron microscopy data

Hardcastle, T.P. and Seabourne, C.R. and Zan, R. and Brydson, R.M.D. and Bangert, U. and Ramasse, Q.M. and Novoselov, K.S. and Scott, A.J. (2013) Mobile metal adatoms on single layer, bilayer, and trilayer graphene: An ab initio DFT study with van der Waals corrections correlated with electron microscopy data. Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

2013

Ion implantation of graphene - Toward IC compatible technologies

Bangert, U. and Pierce, W. and Kepaptsoglou, D.M. and Ramasse, Q. and Zan, R. and Gass, M.H. and Van Den Berg, J.A. and Boothroyd, C.B. and Amani, J. and Hofsäss, H. (2013) Ion implantation of graphene - Toward IC compatible technologies. Nano Letters :4902-4907

2012

Graphene reknits its holes

Zan, R. and Ramasse, Q.M. and Bangert, U. and Novoselov, K.S. (2012) Graphene reknits its holes. Nano Letters :3936-3940

2012

Probing defects and impurity-induced electronic structure changes in single and double-layer hexagonal boron nitride sheets with STEM-EELS

Ramasse, Q.M. and Alem, N. and Yazyev, O.V. and Zettl, A. and Pan, C.T. and Nair, R.R. and Jalil, R. and Zan, R. and Bangert, U. and Seabourne, C.R. and Scott, A.J. and Novoselov, K.S. (2012) Probing defects and impurity-induced electronic structure changes in single and double-layer hexagonal boron nitride sheets with STEM-EELS. Microscopy and Microanalysis :1526-1527

2012

Scanning tunnelling microscopy of suspended graphene

Zan, R. and Muryn, C. and Bangert, U. and Mattocks, P. and Wincott, P. and Vaughan, D. and Li, X. and Colombo, L. and Ruoff, R.S. and Hamilton, B. and Novoselov, K.S. (2012) Scanning tunnelling microscopy of suspended graphene. Nanoscale :3065-3068

2011

Controlled synthesis of tuned bandgap nanodimensional alloys of PbS xSe1-x

Akhtar, J. and Afzaal, M. and Banski, M. and Podhorodecki, A. and Syperek, M. and Misiewicz, J. and Bangert, U. and Hardman, S.J.O. and Graham, D.M. and Flavell, W.R. and Binks, D.J. and Gardonio, S. and Obrien, P. (2011) Controlled synthesis of tuned bandgap nanodimensional alloys of PbS xSe1-x. Journal of the American Chemical Society :5602-5609

2010

Ge nanocrystals in alumina matrix: A structural study

Kashtiban, R.J. and Pinto, S.R.C. and Bangert, U. and Rolo, A.G. and Chahboun, A. and Gomes, M.J.M. and Harvey, A.J. (2010) Ge nanocrystals in alumina matrix: A structural study. Journal of Physics: Conference Series

2009

Nanotopography of graphene

Bangert, U. and Gass, M.H. and Bleloch, A.L. and Nair, R.R. and Eccles, J. (2009) Nanotopography of graphene. Physica Status Solidi (A) Applications and Materials Science :2115-2119

2009

Optical and microstructural studies of InGaN/GaN quantum dot ensembles

Davies, S.C. and Mowbray, D.J. and Ranalli, F. and Parbrook, P.J. and Wang, Q. and Wang, T. and Yea, B.S. and Sherliker, B.J. and Halsall, M.P. and Kashtiban, R.J. and Bangert, U. (2009) Optical and microstructural studies of InGaN/GaN quantum dot ensembles. Applied Physics Letters

2009

Growth and characterisation of BNC nanostructures

Blank, V.D. and Seepujak, A. and Polyakov, E.V. and Batov, D.V. and Kulnitskiy, B.A. and Parkhomenko, Yu.N. and Skryleva, E.A. and Bangert, U. and Gutiérrez-Sosa, A. and Harvey, A.J. (2009) Growth and characterisation of BNC nanostructures. Carbon :3167-3174

2008

Plasmon spectroscopy of free-standing graphene films

Eberlein, T. and Bangert, U. and Nair, R.R. and Jones, R. and Gass, M. and Bleloch, A.L. and Novoselov, K.S. and Geim, A. and Briddon, P.R. (2008) Plasmon spectroscopy of free-standing graphene films. Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

2008

Macroscopic graphene membranes and their extraordinary stiffness

Booth, T.J. and Blake, P. and Nair, R.R. and Jiang, D. and Hill, E.W. and Bangert, U. and Bleloch, A. and Gass, M. and Novoselov, K.S. and Katsnelson, M.I. and Geim, A.K. (2008) Macroscopic graphene membranes and their extraordinary stiffness. Nano Letters :2442-2446

2008

STEM plasmon spectroscopy of free standing graphene

Bangert, U. and Eberlein, T. and Nair, R.R. and Jones, R. and Gass, M. and Bleloch, A.L. and Novoselov, K.S. and Geim, A. and Briddon, P.R. (2008) STEM plasmon spectroscopy of free standing graphene. Physica Status Solidi (A) Applications and Materials Science :2265-2269

2007

Evaporation and deposition of alkyl-capped silicon nanocrystals in ultrahigh vacuum

Chao, Y. and Å iller, L. and Krishnamurthy, S. and Coxon, P.R. and Bangert, U. and Gass, M. and Kjeldgaard, L. and Patole, S.N. and Lie, L.H. and O'Farrell, N. and Alsop, T.A. and Houlton, A. and Horrocks, B.R. (2007) Evaporation and deposition of alkyl-capped silicon nanocrystals in ultrahigh vacuum. Nature Nanotechnology :486-489

2006

Bright enough to see atoms?

Bleloch, A.L. and Falke, U. and Bangert, U. (2006) Bright enough to see atoms?. Microscopy and Microanalysis :1356-1357

2004

Characterization of CNTs filled with magnesium oxides

Gutierrez-Sosa, A. and Seepujak, A. and Bangert, U. and Kulnitskiy, B.A. and Polyakov, E.V. and Batov, D.V. and Blank, V.D. (2004) Characterization of CNTs filled with magnesium oxides. Microscopy and Microanalysis :870-871

2002

Band-gap-related energies of threading dislocations and quantum wells in group-III nitride films as derived from electron energy loss spectroscopy

Gutiérrez-Sosa, A. and Bangert, U. and Harvey, A.J. and Fall, C.J. and Jones, R. and Briddon, P.R. and Heggie, M.I. (2002) Band-gap-related energies of threading dislocations and quantum wells in group-III nitride films as derived from electron energy loss spectroscopy. Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics :353021-3530210

2002

Dislocations in diamond: Electron energy-loss spectroscopy

Fall, C.J. and Blumenau, A.T. and Blumenau, A.T. and Jones, R. and Briddon, P.R. and Frauenheim, T. and Gutiérrez-Sosa, A. and Bangert, U. and E. Mora, A. and Steeds, J.W. and Butler, J.E. (2002) Dislocations in diamond: Electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics :2052061-2052067

2000

Indium segregation in InGaN quantum-well structures

Duxbury, N. and Bangert, U. and Dawson, P. and Thrush, E.J. and Van Der Stricht, W. and Jacobs, K. and Moerman, I. (2000) Indium segregation in InGaN quantum-well structures. Applied Physics Letters :1600-1602

1999

Nanocarbons formed in a hot isostatic pressure apparatus

Blank, V.D. and Polyakov, E.V. and Kulnitskiy, B.A. and Nuzhdin, A.A. and Alshevskiy, Y.L. and Bangert, U. and Harvey, A.J. and Davock, H.J. (1999) Nanocarbons formed in a hot isostatic pressure apparatus. Thin Solid Films :86-90

1983

Ion range studies of cerium implanted CaF2

Arafah, D.E. and Bangert, U. and Thiel, K. and Townsend, P.D. (1983) Ion range studies of cerium implanted CaF2. Nuclear Instruments and Methods In Physics Research :1105-1110

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