Behind the scenes, our MCEC Demonstrator Teams have been working thoroughly on their projects. To give you a glimpse of what waits ahead, we visited each team this summer to get a better understanding of their project, their goals and expectations. Pyrolystrator Christia Jabbour, Ina Vollmer, Michael Jenks, Ferdy Coumans, Jérôme Simons, and Dr. Florian
Webinar Recycable Plastic
Society is facing a major challenge in the area of sustainability. The demand for energy and materials such as plastics is increasing, but CO2 emissions and the amount of waste must be reduced. For this, we need to develop better production processes. The speakers in this webinar highlight the challenges and possible solutions for making
PhD defense: Beyond the ensemble; Excited-state dynamics unveiled by single-nanoparticle spectroscopy
PhD defense S.O.M. Hinterding MSc Technologie waarbij licht wordt omgezet speelt een belangrijke rol in onze moderne samenleving. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan smartphones, LED-lampen en zonnepanelen. Hoewel dergelijke apparaten al ver ontwikkeld zijn, kan het nog beter: een hogere efficïentie, langere levensduur en een lager gewicht. Quantum dots zijn enorm kleine deeltjes van slechts een paar
Greenifying chemistry: back to the drawing table. An interview with Anne-Eva Nieuwelink
Innovation in the chemical sector is crucial for a more sustainable society. In our way towards the greenification of chemistry we have to join forces, get back to the drawing table and reinvent chemistry. New chemistry for a sustainable future is the title of ARC CBBC’s prestigious new multilateral program. 17 principal investigators from various universities will work
Freddy Rabouw receives prestigious VIDI-grant
Freddy Rabouw was awarded a VIDI grant from the NWO Talent Scheme. The VIDI grant, for researchers who have already conducted several years of research after their PhD, involves a scholarship of 800,000 euros intended for the development of their own research line, and allows for the appointment of one or two PhD students. Freddy
ARC-CBBC hub explained
Ina Vollmer and Matteo Monai, ICC’s new assistant professors (see May 1 news item) have prepared a video explaining the tools and techniques available at the Utrecht ARC-CBBC hub. The ARC CBBC infrastructure is available for everyone affiliated with ARC-CBBC, including ARC-CBBC researchers who work at other universities. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/KT6XAGG-fTk Source: website Inorganic Chemistry
Da Vinci Project 2020-2021 Reunion at Strand Oog in Al
To festively celebrate the end of the Da Vinci Project 2020-2021 program, a Comenius Teaching Fellow project conceptualized and lead by Prof. Weckhuysen, a physical reunion was organized for the students and the external partners at Strand Oog in Al (Utrecht). This year marked the second edition of the interdisciplinary honours program, in which groups
In Situ Nano-Spectroscopy on Surface-Anchored Metal-Organic Frameworks
PhD defense of Guusje Delen “A new view on nanomaterials in action.” Small materials, large effects: because of their size, nanomaterials usually behave differently than their larger counterparts. For example, they are often better at absorbing and converting gasses, such as CO2 or poison gases. But why? To answer this we need new microscopes to
The Birth, Life and Death of Surface-Mounted Metal-Organic Frameworks
PhD defense of Laurence Mandemaker In this Ph.D. Thesis, thin layers of solid catalysts were studied using advanced microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. These catalysts, better known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), consist of metal clusters which are interconnected with linker molecules, building a 3D porous crystalline structure with many potential applications. The thesis focusses on the
Comenius Senior Fellowship for Bert Weckhuysen
After having received a Comenius Teaching Fellowship to launch the Da Vinci Project for BA students in 2019, Bert Weckhuysen now also received a Comenius Senior Fellowship to expand it for MA students in the frame of the Utrecht University, Technical University of Eindhoven and Wageningen University and EWUU Strategic Alliance! Sustainable development and the
And then there was light: the sun powers new chemistry
In an article that appeared in de Telegraaf today, ICC researchers Eline Hutter, Matteo Monai, and Bert Weckhuysen are interviewed about the conversion of CO2 to methane using sunlight. Although the conversion of CO2 to methane (the Sabatier reaction) has been known since the early 1900’s, it has gained quite some attention recently as one of the solutions to
Where has all the plastic gone? Ina Vollmer & Florian Meirer interviewed about plastic in the environment
Ina Vollmer and Florian Meirer have been interviewed for an in-depth article about plastic in the environment: 99 percent of all the plastics in the ocean is missing. We know it went in, but we have no clue where it’s headed. One thing is certain though: plastic is never really gone. The question is: where did it go?