Dr. Polycarpos Falaras

Institute of Physical Chemistry
NCSR “Demokritos”
15310 Aghia Paraskevi, Attiki, Greece
Tel: +30 210 6503644
Fax: +30 210 6511766
e-mail: papi<at>chem.demokritos.gr

Polycarpos Falaras was born in Karditsa-Greece (1960), and studied Physics at the University of Thessaloniki (1978-1982), where he obtained his degree in Physic. He received his DEA in Electrochemistry (1982-1983) and Ph.D. in Chemistry (1983-1986) from the University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris-France). In 1989 he joined the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the National Center for Scientific Research ‘Demokritos’ in Athens, where we worked as postdoctoral researcher until 1995. In 1995, he was elected as researcher (grade C), in 1998 he became senior researcher (grade B) and in 2003 he was promoted to the post of research director (grade A). From 1993 to 1999 he taught electrochemistry at the General Department of Physics, Chemistry and Materials Technology-Technological Education Establishment of Piraeus-Greece and since 2006 he is teaching Physical Chemistry at the Hellenic Open University-Department of Physical Sciences and Technology. His main research activities are in the area of Photochemistry-Electrochemistry and are centered on light induced processes and their applications in solar energy conversion to electricity, environmental cleaning and health protection. Special interest exists on functional nanostructured materials (mainly the preparation of fractal high surface area nanostructured TiO₂ thin films by sol-gel, anodicoxidation, spin coating, screen-printing and sintering techniques), the synthesis of new sensitizers-transition metal complexes bearing functional groups and presenting broad and intense MLCT absorption bands in the visible as well as the development of redox polymer electrolytes as well as the optimization of dye-sensitized solar cells. In parallel, photocatalytic processes based are investigated focusing on the development of self-cleaning and self-sterilizing surfaces