Winner: 2024 Harrison-Meldola Early Career Prize for Chemistry
Dr Felice Torrisi
Imperial College London
For innovative contributions to the understanding of charge transport in networks of two-dimensional materials for the development of printed electronics.
Dr Torrisi’s work reveals the physical mechanisms responsible for the transport of electricity in printed two-dimensional (2D) materials. Understanding how charges move in printed 2D materials enables the design and optimisation of new electronic devices in emerging fields, like wearable electronics, electronic textiles, point-of-care diagnostics and quantum computing. His team has revealed that electronic components, sensors and integrated circuits can be printed from 2D material inks on any substrates, including plastics to textiles, paving the way to a new generation of high-performance devices.
Biography
Dr Felice Torrisi is Senior Lecturer in Chemistry of 2D materials. He previously held a University Lectureship in Graphene Technology in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, where he jointly managed the Centre for Doctoral Training in Graphene Technology and the Cambridge Graphene Centre. He is a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and an Executive Board member of the Centre for Processable Electronics and the Institute for Digital Molecular Design and Fabrication at Imperial College. Felice’s research interests span the fundamental mechanisms of transport in printed films of graphene and other two-dimensional materials and their applications in flexible and printed electronics and photonics, with a particular emphasis on energy, sensing, wearable electronics and bioelectronics.
He has organised several symposia in the field of graphene-printed electronics and inks, including at the Grapchina conference and IDTechEx. He was co-chair at IEEE FLEPS 2019 and the MRS-IMRC 2024 conferences. Among the Fellowships and awards he has received are the Schlumberger Research Fellowship, the Parmee Prize for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise, and the Fellowship at Trinity College Cambridge. He sits on the editorial board of Elsevier’s FlatChem and Materials Today Electronics. He is the co-founder of three start-ups in the areas of graphene, printed electronics and electronic textiles: Cambridge Graphene Platform Ltd, Cambridge Graphene Ltd, and Grapholymer Ltd. Felics has also contributed to the development of the science and technology roadmap for graphene.
Q&A
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
My interest in chemistry came through by working on graphene and two-dimensional materials. I realised that their true potential could be fully unleashed only through chemistry. Chemical synthesis of 2D materials in solution enabled me and my group to develop printable inks with 2D materials and demonstrate that electronic devices and circuits can be printed, outperforming state-of-the-art printed electronics.
What motivates you?
Knowledge and understanding – the excitement of a serendipitous discovery during an experiment or the "eureka" moment after strenuous weeks of data analysis. Ultimately, realising that the discoveries made in the lab could one day have an impact on society and improve the lives of others is a strong motivation to do research.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
The three ‘c’s’: be curious, be creative, be collaborative. These are key aspects I would advise to follow for a career in chemistry. In addition, I found very important in my career being determined and critical of your work and that of the other researchers.
Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?
The family of 2D materials is very large. My work and the work of my team paved the way to understanding how printed electronics work with 2D material inks. Researchers worldwide are now using our results to develop high-performance printed electronics for more sustainable and ubiquitous electronics in the future. This has a strong potential to enable wearable electronic devices and electronic textiles for healthcare, energy and quantum technologies.
What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?
Certainly, an important highlight for me was the demonstration of printed transistors with graphene and 2D materials. The results of this work enabled us to understand how charge carriers move across networks of 2D materials and opened the way to the entire field of printed electronics with 2D material inks.