Welcome to our site!
Our group focuses on the synthesis, characterisation and performance of supported catalysts. These allow efficient chemical conversions (and hence decrease the use of energy and raw materials), but are also essential to allow the transformation from fossil to renewable fuels. With fundamental research we unravel structure-performance relationships, but we also investigate large scale existing industrial processes (methanol synthesis, Fischer Tropsch synthesis, hydroisomerisation, ammonia synthesis, epoxidation and other selective hydrogenation and oxidation reactions in both gas and liquid phase).
We are also very active in the field of energy materials: for instance to produce electrocatalytically fuels from CO2 and H2, reversible hydrogen storage, and next generation battery materials. We lead the materials research line in RELEASE, the national consortium to enable large scale reversible energy storage. Another stronghold is the characterisation of these complex materials with advanced (in-situ and operando) spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, most notably advanced X-Ray absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy.
An overview of our research can be found on our research page.
Students welcome!
Students are welcome to check out available research projects here! We have BSc, MSc, and review projects available for students interested in energy materials and catalysis.
Latest News
(More news can be found on our news page and a list of PhD defences can be found on the group defences page.)
Prof. Petra de Jongh receives ERC Advanced Grant for PromSusCat research
(12-04-2024)
Full press release
Congratulations to Prof. Petra de Jongh for securing an ERC Advanced Grant for fundamental research into the role of promoters on catalysts for the production of fuels from CO2. Prof. De Jongh and her team will research the complex interactions between a promoter and catalyst. This will involve a combination of advanced electron microscopy and x-ray spectroscopy techniques to study the catalyst in situ. Like much of prof. De Jongh’s research, this project is at the intersection of chemistry and physics, and aims to gain essential fundamental understanding to develop new and better catalysts.
Gravity funding for ANION project
(12-04-2024)
Full press release
The Advanced Nano-electrochemistry Institute of the Netherlands (ANION) consortium, led by dr. Marc Koper, has received the ‘Zwaartekracht’ or Gravity funding. Prof. Petra de Jongh was co-applicant for the proposal. The new consortium seeks to bring together chemists and physicists to investigate electrochemical processes at the smallest scales to find new fundamental insights. Scientists from the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science will contribute by investigating solid-liquid interfaces in electrochemical processes and electromicroscopy to visualize such processes.
25th Netherlands’ Cataysis and Chemistry Conference
During the week of March 4th, the 25th Netherlands’ Catalysis and Chemistry Conference took place in Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands. This festive special edition was organized by a committee from Utrecht University with prof. Petra de Jongh (MCC) as chairwoman and prof. Pieter Bruijnincx (OCC) as vice-chairman. For this quarter-century milestone, the committee also invited emeriti who were part of the first NCCC organizing committee. More can be read on the website of C2W.
Dr. Nong Artrith wins Sebastian Haben award for Open Science!
Dr. Nong Artrith, assistant professor at the Materials Chemistry and Catalysis group of the Debye Institute, received the first Sebastian Haben award. The other winner was PhD candidate in Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Douwe Schulte. Nong’s nomination stood out because her career encompasses a combination of open software, open data and open education. She developed Atomic Energy Network (ænet), an open-source software for the use of machine learning models in materials science. This software is also used by the PhD candidates in the MCC group for their research into novel energy materials. She publishes her datasets alongside the manuscripts on Materials Cloud. Finally, she is committed to open education and has posted several lectures and tutorials online with the relevant materials. The jury was impressed by her inspiring efforts in both open science and education.
Prof. Petra de Jongh wins Gilles Holst Medal!
(November 2023)
Full article: Dutch, English.
Our group leader prof. Petra de Jongh has received the Gilles Holst Medal, in recognition of her contributions to science towards the sustainable energy transition. The jury praised her specifically on: “[…] her interdisciplinary approach [to research], her tireless quest for knowledge, and the industrial applications that emerge from her research on nanomaterials.” Prof. Petra de Jongh is the first woman to receive this medal since its establishment in 1960. We congratulate Petra for winning this prestigious medal!
Petra de Jongh researches the connection between catalyst structure and performance with advanced characterization methods. Through collaborative efforts with industry, her investigations contribute to the advancement of novel processes like sustainable methanol, hydrocarbon, or ammonia synthesis—which are crucial for achieving a circular economy. Additionally, Petra and her team are pioneering the creation of next-generation batteries, aiming for enhanced safety, reduced weight, and increased efficiency. These advancements play a pivotal role in facilitating a sustainable transition towards cleaner energy sources.
In the week of 8-12 October, PhD students Maaike Vink-van Ittersum and Henrik Rodenburg travelled to Gothenburg, Sweden, together with dr. Peter Ngene to present at the 244th Electrochemical Society Meeting.
For her MSc thesis, titled ‘Morphological Considerations in Templated Porous Ag Catalysts for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction‘, Karen van de Akker received the second price for the GSNS Thesis Award for her thesis research, based on her research at MCC under supervision of Maaike van Ittersum. (September 2023)
On September 8th, we had our annual “labuitje”! We went canoeing in the morning and paid a visit to Fort Rhijnauwen in the afternoon.
Prof. dr. Philipp Adelhelm paid a visit to the Debye Institute on September 7th. He gave a wonderful lecture about Na-ion Batteries: Energy Storage Based on Abundant Elements, preceded by a visit to MCC and a poster session by the Debye PhD Committee. Prof. Adelhelm’s group studies materials for energy storage, focusing on electrode materials for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries as well as on alternative cell concepts, like metal-sulfur and solid-state batteries.
Prof. dr. Petra De Jongh, dr. Jessi van der Hoeven, Suzan Schoemaker, Oscar Brandt Corstius, and Maaike van Ittersum visited Prague, Czech Republic, to present lectures at the EuropaCat congress in August.
The BatteryNL consortium, in which Petra de Jongh and Peter Ngene lead the research line on improving batteries via interface design strategies, started on 12 January 2023. We look forward to contributing to the development of safer and more energy dense lithium-based batteries to meet the world’s need for electric energy storage.
Materials Chemistry and Catalysis 