Giada Franceschi
Contact Information
- Institute of Applied Physics, TU Wien
Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/134, 1040 Wien, Austria - Phone: +436702019901
- email: franceschi@iap.tuwien.ac.at
Professional Experience and Education
- 2021- Postdoctoral Research Associate at TU Wien, Austria (Advisor: Ulrike Diebold)
- 2020-2021 Postdoctoral Research Associate at FU Berlin, Germany (Advisor: Katharina J. Franke)
- 2016-2020 Ph.D. in Physics, TU Wien, Austria (Advisor: Ulrike Diebold)
Awards and Honors
- 2024 FWF Elise Richter grant “Surface reactivity of silicates at the atomic level (SURREAL)” (RIC 4539124, 543 k€, 2025−2029).
- 2023 Peter Varga Poster Prize at the 35th Symposium on Surface Science (3S*23, Courmayeour, Italy)
- 2021 Humboldt Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers
- 2020 Poster Prize at the 12th International Workshop on Oxide Surfaces (IWOX-XII, Lake Placid, NY, US)
Research Interests and areas of expertise
- Surface science of metal oxides (In2O3, Fe2O3, SrTiO3, La1−xSrxMnO3) and aluminosilicates (micas, feldspars)
- Atomically controlled growth of metal oxide thin films
- Scanning probe microscopy (AFM/STM)
- Mineral surfaces
- Ice nucleation
Research Team
Our team explores the interaction of water with insulating surfaces, including natural aluminosilicate minerals such as micas and feldspars. The experiments span from adsorption studies in ultrahigh vacuum to reactions in aqueous solutions and high-pressure gases. We strive to gain atomistic insights into the fundamental processes underlying the mineral-water interaction, such as ion hydration and dissolution, and ice nucleation. Our tools of choice are nc-AFM and XPS.
Most important publications
- G. Franceschi*, A. Conti, L. Lezuo, R. Abart, F. Mittendorfer, M. Schmid, and U. Diebold, NH3 adsorption and competition with H2O on a hydroxylated aluminosilicate surface, J. Chem. Phys., 160, 164312 (2024). Editor’s choice
- G. Franceschi*, A. Conti, L. Lezuo, R. Abart, F. Mittendorfer, M. Schmid, and U. Diebold, How water binds to microcline feldspar (001), J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 15, 15−22 (2024). Editor’s choice
- G. Franceschi*, S. Brandstetter, J. Balajka, J. Pavelec, I. Sokolovic, M. Setvin, M. Schmid, and U. Diebold, Interaction of surface cations of cleaved mica with water in vapor and liquid form Faraday Discussions 249, 84-97 (2024),
- G. Franceschi*, P. Kocan, A. Conti, S. Brandstetter, J. Balajka, I. Sokolovic, M. Valtiner, F. Mittendorfer, M. Schmid, M. Setvin, and U. Diebold,
Resolving the intrinsic short-range ordering of K+ ions on cleaved muscovite mica, Nat. Commun. 14, 208 (2023).