BTU auf einen Blick
Fakultät 1
Fachgebiet Angewandte Physik und Halbleiterspektroskopie Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Jan Ingo Flege

Dr. rer. nat. Carlos Morales

Akademischer Mitarbeiter

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), where I head the ALD-XPS branch at Prof. J.I. Flege’s group. My primary research line focuses on surface science and applied physics, combining in-situ and operando core-level spectroscopies on both model and realistic systems in the fields of gas sensing, heterogeneous catalysis, and energy conversion.

After earning my Ph.D. at the Autonomous University of Madrid (2019) under the supervision of Prof. L. Soriano and including a six-month research stay at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, I transitioned to BTU. Here, I have led the research line dedicated to ALD-based active films for sensing applications, including serving as the responsible for the ALD-XPS lab upgrade and the subsequent supervisor of the facility. These activities are part of iCampμs, a structural research campus established in 2019 that puts together fundamental and applied sciences and enables strong synergies between BTU and industry. Furthermore, I was granted a two-year Postdoc Network Brandenburg (PNB) Grant for Postdoctoral Researchers in 2022 to lead my own investigation.

To date, my work has resulted in the (co-)authorship of 34 peer-reviewed publications, 19 as first author and 3 as corresponding author. Two articles from my main research line appear on the Front Covers of ChemSusChem and Adv. Mater. Interfaces. I have also co-invented two patents, one in Spain and one in the United States. Furthermore, I participated in over 20 international conferences and workshops, delivering 12 oral presentations, including invited talks at the SENTECH Thin Film Metrology Seminar and Workshop (Berlin, Germany) in 2024 and at the 107th workshop of IUVSTA-ZCAM UNIZAR (Zaragoza, Spain) in 2025. Finally, I was awarded the Ph.D. Thesis First Prize in 2022 by the Spanish Association of Synchrotron Users (AUSE).

My research program integrates a main research line and two secondaries based on internal and external collaborations:

  • ALD-based ultrathin active films & miniaturized sensing: I lead the development of ultra-thin active films deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) for gas sensing applications. The main materials studied are cerium and tin oxides.
  • Surface & interface engineering of model catalysts: I conduct fundamental studies on inverse model catalysts, focusing on ceria-based systems oxide doped with samarium and uranium for methanol synthesis and CO₂ and H2O splitting.
  • Thin films for thermoelectric conversion and H2 sensing: this work involves the in-situ study of thin films growth to understand how defects and microstructure influence thermoelectric properties, as well as their capacity for H2 storage and sensing.

My research leverages the intensive use of synchrotron radiation for advanced characterization. I have participated in 29 beamtimes at European and American facilities (including proposal submission, experimental execution, and a leading role on the experimental team). My expertise spans a variety of chemical and structural characterization techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near ambient pressure XPS (NAP-XPS), X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), and X-ray photoelectron emission microscopy (XPEEM) in combination with low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM). I have also conducted experiments at the CERIC-ERIC laboratory network (Czech Republic) and the Molecular Foundry (USA, 3 months, 2018). Furthermore, I led two on-site experiments at the Institute for Transuranium Elements of the European Commission (Germany) in 2024 and 2025, each lasting 1 month.

During the postdoctoral period, I have actively participated in teaching activities including mandatory seminars in the BSc of Physics and core subjects in the MSc of Physics. In detail, during the period 2020-2023, I was in charge of the BSc seminar »Scientific Writing in English« (2h/week), which focused on developing technical communication skills critical for interdisciplinary research. Since 2024, I teach the MSc core courses »Surface Physics and 2D Materials« (4h/week) and »Nanocatalysis« (4h/week).

  • Emilia Pozarowska (Brandenburg University of Technology, BTU), 2019-current. Estimated defense in 2026. Co-supervision with Prof. Jan Ingo Flege. Tentative title “Ternary mixed metal oxide catalysis for CO2 conversion”.
  • Rudi Tschammer (Brandenburg University of Technology, BTU), 2023-current. Estimated defense in 2026. Co-supervision with Prof. Jan Ingo Flege. Tentative title “Novel materials and coatings for the detection of hydrogen and hydrocarbons”.
  • Paula Prieto Porras (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, UAM), 2023-current. Estimated defense in 2026. Co-supervision with Prof. José Ramón Ares. Tentative title “Magnesium films for optical monitoring of hydrogen: the role of the interfaces in the interaction hydrogen-magnesium”.
  • Dominic Guttmann (Brandenburg University of Technology, BTU), 2025-current. Estimated defense in 2028. Co-supervision with Prof. Jan Ingo Flege. Tentative title Enhancing gas sensing properties in atomic layer deposited heterostructures through defect engineering”.

(in close collaboration with Prof. Jan Ingo Flege)

  • Max Gertig (Brandenburg University of Technology, BTU), Estimated defense in January 2026 “Scaling free-standing ultrathin metal oxide membranes”
  • Dominic Guttmann (Brandenburg University of Technology, BTU) “Oxide formation and oxide/metal interaction in CeOx/Ni(111)” (defended on December 10th, 2024)
  • Rudi Tschammer (Brandenburg University of Technology, BTU) “Characterization of the structural and chemical properties of cerium oxide nanoparticles grown on the Au(111) surface” (defended on December 16th, 2022)

(in close collaboration with Prof. Jan Ingo Flege)

  • Cedric Swienty (Brandenburg University of Technology, BTU) “Combination of operando and in-situ characterization techniques for understanding the early stages of growth of thermal atomic layer deposition of aluminium oxide” (defended on September 27th, 2023)
  • Max Gertig (Brandenburg University of Technology, BTU) “In-situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study of Ultra-thin Atomic Layer Deposited CeOx Films on SiO2 and Their Sensor Capability for H2 Sensors at Room Temperature” (defended on October 19th, 2022)
  • Dominic Guttmann (Brandenburg University of Technology, BTU). “Modifizierung eines ALD-Reaktors vom Pumptyp- zum Mehrzweckreaktor“ (defended on October, 27th, 2021)

2025

  • C. Morales, R. Tschammer, E. Pożarowska, I. J. Villar-Garcia, V. Pérez-Dieste, M. Favaro, D. E. Starr, C. Alvarado, C. Wenger, K. Henkel, J. I. Flege
    »Hydrogen Sensing via Heterolytic H2 Activation at Room Temperature by Atomic Layer Deposited Ceria«
    ChemSusChem 2025, 18, e202402342
    DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202402342
    Selected for Front Cover in ChemSusChem
  • C. Morales, M. Gertig, M. Kot, C. Alvarado, M. A. Schubert, M. H. Zoellner, C. Wenger, K. Henkel, J.I. Flege
    »In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of atomic layer deposited cerium oxide on SiO2: substrate influence on the reaction mechanism during the early stages of growth«
    Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2025,12, 5, 2400537
    DOI: 10.1002/admi.202400537
    Selected for Front Cover in Adv. Mater. Interfaces
  • C. Morales, R. Tschammer, T. Gouder, Y.M. Choi, D. Anjum, A. Baunthiyal, J.-O. Krisponeit, Jens Falta, J. I. Flege, H. Idriss
    »Stabilization of Ce3+ cations via U-Ce charge transfer in mixed oxides: consequences on the thermochemical water splitting to hydrogen« 
    J. Phys. Energy, 2025, 7, 2, 025012
    DOI: 10.1088/2515-7655/adbad9

2024

  • C. Morales,P. Plate, L.  Marth, F. Naumann, M. Kot, C. Janowitz, P. Kus, M. Zoellner, C. Wenger, K. Henkel, J. I. Flege
    »Bottom-up design of a super-cycle recipe for atomic layer deposition of tunable indium gallium zinc oxide thin films«
    ACS Appl. Electron. Mater. 2024, 6, 5694−5704 
    DOI: 10.1021/acsaelm.4c00730

2023

  • C. Morales, A. Mahmoodinezhad, R. Tschammer, J. Kosto, C. Alvarado-Chavarin, M. A. Schubert, C. Wenger, K. Henkel, J. I. Flege
    »Combination of Multiple Operando and In-Situ Characterization Techniques in a Single Cluster System for Atomic Layer Deposition: Unraveling the Early Stages of Growth of Ultrathin Al2O3 Films on Metallic Ti Substrates«
    Inorganics, 2023, 11, 477
    DOI: 10.3390/inorganics11120477