Raffaella Buonsanti

Raffaella Buonsanti serves as an Associate Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) within the School of Basic Sciences, holding multiple leadership roles including Director of SCGC Administration and Member of SB School Direction. She leads the Laboratory of Nanochemistry for Energy (LNCE) at EPFL Valais Wallis, focusing on cutting-edge nanomaterials research for energy applications. Her institutional affiliations span the Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (ISIC), Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (SCGC), and Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS).

Her research centers on nanomaterials synthesis for energy conversion, with particular expertise in colloidal nanocrystals, CO₂ electroreduction, and quantum dot applications. Key focus areas include:

• Designing tunable catalysts for CO₂-to-fuel conversion
• Atomic-scale control of metal-oxide interfaces
• Stability mechanisms in electrocatalytic systems
• Data-driven nanocrystal shape prediction
• Hybrid quantum dot-molecular systems for energy transfer

Current work emphasizes overcoming copper catalyst stability challenges through oxide coatings and liquid metal nanoparticle engineering.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2024-2025) reveals dominant research themes in electrocatalysis (73% of articles), nanomaterials synthesis (60%), and energy conversion (53%). Key technical advances include c-ALD-grown oxide shells for quantum dots, liquid gallium-based catalysts, and data-driven nanocrystal shape control. Her work consistently bridges fundamental surface science with industrial CO₂ electrolysis applications.

She actively mentors 9 current PhD students and has supervised 11 graduates, with advisees researching copper nanocatalysts, CO₂ reduction mechanisms, and colloidal nanomaterials. Her teaching portfolio includes Introduction to Chemical Engineering Laboratory Works, Introduction to Transport Phenomena, and Nanomaterials for Chemical Engineering Applications.

The LNCE laboratory under her direction develops colloidal synthesis methods for energy applications, with recent work focusing on solid-liquid electrocatalysts and quantum dot hybrid materials. Current projects emphasize scalable nanofoundry approaches and industrial implementation of CO₂ conversion technologies.