Objective Transition metal (TM) oxides (TiO2, ZnO, NiO) are large gap insulators that have emerged as highly attractive materials over the past two decades for applications in photocatalysis, solar energy conversion, etc., all of which rely on the generation of charge carriers, their evolution and their eventual trapping at defects or a self-trapped excitons. Despite the huge interest for such materials, the very nature of the elementary electronic excitations (Frenkel, Wannier or charge transfer exciton) is still not established, nor is the way these excitations evolve after being created: excitonic polaron or charged polaron. Finally, the electron and hole recombine is also not clearly established because of issue of defects and trapping. In order to tackle these issues, here we implement novel experimental tools that would provide us with hitherto inaccessible information about the charge carrier dynamics in TM oxides. Of importance is the ability to detect both the electrons and the holes. Some of these tools have been developed in the PI’s group: i) Ultrafast X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) will provide information about the final metal d-orbitals and about the structural changes around it; ii) Ultrafast X-ray emission (XES) will provide information about hole states. While these two approaches are ideal element-selective ones, the localization of the electron at metal atoms represents a small proportion of the electron population. Therefore, ultrafast Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) will be used to map out the band structure changes in the system and the evolution of the conduction band electrons. Ultrafast 2-dimensional (2D) UV (<400nm) transient absorption spectroscopy allows the mapping of the time evolution of both the valence and the conduction bands by its ability to pump and probe above the band gap. Last, Fourier Transform visible 2D spectroscopy will allow the probing of gap state dynamics at high time resolution. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencescatalysisphotocatalysisnatural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryinorganic compoundsnatural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metalsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesatomic physicsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsspectroscopyabsorption spectroscopy Keywords electrons holes band structure charge trapping surfaces Titanium dioxide Zinc Oxide Nickel Oxide nanoparticles single crystals Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-ADG-2015 - ERC Advanced Grant Call for proposal ERC-2015-AdG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant Host institution ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE Net EU contribution € 2 482 305,00 Address BATIMENT CE 3316 STATION 1 1015 Lausanne Switzerland See on map Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Région lémanique Vaud Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 482 305,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE Switzerland Net EU contribution € 2 482 305,00 Address BATIMENT CE 3316 STATION 1 1015 Lausanne See on map Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Région lémanique Vaud Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 482 305,00