IMDEA Nanociencia hosts the second meeting of the ERC TomATTO Project Consortium
10.04.2026
Credits: IMDEA Nanociencia
- The ERC-Synergy TomATTO project is holding its second in-person meeting at IMDEA Nanociencia.
- TomATTO gathers synergy from three research groups based in Madrid and Milan towards one ambitious goal: capturing the ultrafast electron dynamics in organic molecules to enhance solar energy conversion.
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Madrid, April 10th, 2026. Researchers from the TomATTO Consortium gathered at IMDEA Nanociencia, the project coordinator, for two-day meeting to discuss the latest developments in the project. This marks the second in-person meeting, since they usually meet online to discuss progress, following the one held in Milan.
The event began with a welcome address by Fernando Martín, principal investigator and project coordinator from the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Nanoscience / Autonomous University of Madrid (IMDEA/UAM, Madrid), accompanied by the leaders of the other two teams: Nazario Martín from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM, Madrid); and Mauro Nisoli from the Polytechnic University of Milan (PoliMi). The meeting provided an opportunity to review the common objectives and share the latest progress made by each group. The gathering was also used to preview the documentary that will be used to publicize the project.
Credits: IMDEA Nanociencia
It was also held with a tour of several laboratories located at the IMDEA Nanociencia facility. The group visited the Ultrafast Quantum Materials Science laboratories (Allan Johnson); Drs. Marco Ballabio and Vasileos Balos presented the Nanostructured Photovoltaics Group (Enrique Cánovas); Dr. Abbas Ahmad Khan and Abdou Karim presented the Nanocarbides and Organic Photovoltaics Group (Nazario Martin, Javier Urieta); and finally, the Photon STM group (Alberto Martin)
Based in the EU and funded by the EU
TomATTO is an ambitious scientific project that is capturing the ultrafast dynamics of electrons with the ultimate aim of improving the efficiency of organic molecules for solar cells. By observing, understanding and controlling the excitation of molecules in solar panels, researchers say, the performance of these devices could be improved, as they currently convert less than 25% of the solar energy they receive.
Over the course of the 6-year project, TomATTO researchers will overcome three major challenges: 1) record the first electronic processes initiated by light absorption; 2) design new organic materials to control the electronic dynamics; and 3) develop computational methods to rationalise the results. To this end, the research team of the TomATTO consortium, led by professors Fernando Martín (IMDEA Nanociencia, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Nazario Martín (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and Mauro Nisoli (Politecnico di Milano), joins forces in this synergistic project.
The TomATTO project, coordinated from IMDEA Nanociencia Institute, receives funding from the European Research Council through a Synergy Grant with a budget of 12 million €. Synergy Grants fund projects that address challenges so ambitious they cannot be tackled by a single group alone.
A synergy between 3 research groups
The collaboration between the 3 groups is essential for the advancement of the common goal: enhance the efficiency of solar energy conversion in solar cells. The complexity of TomATTO's main goal demands contributions from three specialties, with each working to address the challenges that arise when the key components are combined. The group of Nazario Martín contributes with their extensive expertise in organic synthesis and organic photovoltaics. They provide the molecules that Mauro Nisoli and his group are measuring at PoliMi. Nisoli’s group works at the forefront of attosecond techniques, applying them to measure the electron and charge dynamics in excited organic molecules. The rationale of the observations is contributed by Fernando Martín and his group, that compute the behaviour of the molecules under light excitation and compare these calculations with experimental measurements. Information such as how long does it take for an electron to initiate its movement after excitation, or what is the coordinated movement of the electrons with the atomic nuclei, are questions that F. Martín’s group, in collaboration with the groups of Nisoli and N. Martín, are answering throughout the project.
The pinnacle of TomATTO would be to manipulate the molecules to physical states that are beyond the chemistry processes they would naturally follow. By intervening at the very earliest stages of these processes, the project aims to enable control over chemical reactions, paving the way for entirely new paradigms in chemistry. With at least two more years ahead, the TomATTO project is well-positioned to deliver further groundbreaking results and continue pushing the boundaries of attosecond science and molecular engineering.
More information:
Contact:
Prof. Fernando Martín
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
https://tomatto.eu/fernando-martin-team/
Oficina de Divulgación y Comunicación de IMDEA Nanociencia
divulgacion.nanociencia [at]imdea.org
Source: IMDEA Nanociencia.
IMDEA Nanociencia Institute is a young interdisciplinary research Centre in Madrid (Spain) dedicated to the exploration of nanoscience and the development of applications of nanotechnology in connection with innovative industries.
Related information: TOMATTO’s researcher Rocío Borrego explains in a recent interview for Radio Libertad the aim of TOMATTO project https://tomatto.eu/news/ https://go.ivoox.com/rf/145521812?utm_source=embed_podcast_new&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=new_embeds