Presentation of Alice Fiocco
Alice Fiocco: Product Application Specialist
Alice is a Product Application Specialist at HORIBA France within the Instrument Business Unit at the Palaiseau site.
Alice leads the AFM/AFM-Raman application training:
This training course is designed for users of HORIBA AFM spectrometers; whether you are a beginner or an advanced user, the course can be tailored to your skill level.
Alice joined HORIBA France in 2022 after completing extensive scientific studies. Alice first earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial chemistry from the University of Bologna in Italy. She went on to complete a European Master’s in ASC (Advanced Spectroscopy in Chemistry) through the Erasmus Mundus program in Lille and Krakow. Finally, Alice completed her studies by earning a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Sorbonne University in Paris.
Alice gained her first experience with HORIBA instruments during her bachelor’s degree in Bologna, and later during her PhD, where she worked with the LabRAM Odyssey nano.
Alice specializes in several techniques at HORIBA, notably AFM, nano-Raman, STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscopy), and electrochemistry. She conducts in-depth analyses in various applications such as 2D materials, electroactive materials, and nanomaterials, and works in several areas of expertise, including AFM/Raman coupling, spectroelectrochemistry, and nano-characterization.
If our standard AFM training course does not fully meet your specific needs, you also have the option of requesting a customized training program. Alice primarily works in the materials, semiconductor, and energy sectors. She analyzes samples such as 2D materials, battery and fuel cell components, nanomaterials, and electroactive thin films.
For Alice, the most important thing is to fully understand the participants’ needs and tailor the training to those needs and the users’ level of knowledge.
« The key to success is patience and perseverance. But sometimes, you might just have to change your probe! »
During her training sessions, Alice provides brief theoretical overviews before moving on to the practical phase and instrument demonstrations. At the end of each section, Alice offers short practice sessions. If time permits, you are strongly encouraged to bring your own samples to test and analyze at the end of the training.
Regarding her research, Alice has participated in two publications about simultaneous electrochemical and nanoRaman analyses, performed on electroactive surfaces and cathodes for Li-ion batteries. She also took part in a paper on catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells, for which she supported microRaman spectroelectrochemical measurements.
Alice regularly speaks at conferences. She has been presenting her works to Raman Fest for the last 4 years, performing AFM-Raman demonstrations at the French-speaking meetings Forum des Microscopies à Sonde Locale, and participating to other international events such as the TERS and Graphene conferences.
Alice has participated in several notable projects. She was part of the Harvestore project, which focused on the development and characterization of materials for energy generation and storage. It was within this framework that Alice helped develop cell for AFM-TERS measurements in liquid media and under electrochemical conditions. Today, Alice is part of the SEAL Hydrogen project, which is based on the large-scale development of hydrogen fuel cells in alkaline environment. This project supports the development of a cell for in-situ electrochemical Raman measurements.
