NIOK

Appointments and scientific publications University of Utrecht

Susan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:58:17 +0000

January 2012, Professor Krijn de Jong has been appointed as Scientific Director of the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science of Utrecht University.

Professor Frank de Groot is appointed as Affiliated Professor of Photon Science at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University (USA), one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions. The appointment has started in the beginning of January 2012, and is for the next 3 years.

Scientific publications
Recently, 3 papers from the Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group in Utrecht appeared in Angewandte Chemie, International Edition:

Integrated Laser and Electron Microscopy Correlates Structure of Fluid Catalytic Cracking Particles to Brønsted Acidity
Authored by M.A. Karreman, I.L.C. Buurmans, J.W. Geus, A.V. Agronskaia, J. Ruiz-Martinez, H.C. Gerritsen and B.M. Weckhuysen, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 51 (2012) 1428-1431.

Host–Guest Geometry in Pores of Zeolite ZSM-5 Spatially Resolved with Multiplex CARS Spectromicroscopy
Authored by K.F. Domke, J.P.R. Day, G. Rago, T.A. Riemer, M.H.F. Kox, B.M. Weckhuysen and M. Bonn, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 51 (2012) 1343-1347.

Chemical probing within catalyst bodies by diagonal offset Raman spectroscopy
Authored by M.W. Zandbergen, S.D.M. Jacques, B.M. Weckhuysen and A.M. Beale, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 51 (2012) 957-960.

Call for full proposals TASC Technology Area Biomass

Susan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:44:37 +0000

Currently, many efforts are directed at converting biomass into sustainable fuels, chemicals and energy. Despite notable advances in the field, many challenges still have to be addressed. Although biorefineries are increasingly becoming reality, full valorization of the renewable feed to a palette of products is not yet within reach. Similar to current oil refinery operations, highly integrated biorefineries fully optimized for energy efficiency and resource utilization have to be developed. (Bio) catalyst development, feedstock and process characterization and biomass recovery and fractionation have been identified as major technological barriers for the realization of the full potential of the biorefinery.

The TA-Biomass is structured around five themes: 1) Hard-to-convert feedstocks, 2) N-compounds, 3) Furan chemistry, 4) Chiral molecules and 5) Terpenes.

These topics will be studied with five defined integrative approaches:
• Chemocatalysis & Biocatalysis;
o Non-Noble Metals
o Novel Enzymes
• Analytical science in relation to cat. biomass conversion (in collaboration with TA-COAST);
• Recovery and fractionation;
• Non-classic catalytic technologies.

The deadline for pre-proposals was 12 January 2012. Submitting a pre-proposal is not compulsory. The deadline for submitting full proposals is 12 April 2012. For more information, visit the NWO website.

Prof.Dr. Volker Hessel hoofdredacteur Green Processing & Synthesis

Susan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:46:27 +0000

Prof.Dr. Volker Hessel van de Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (Faculteit Scheikundige Technologie) is hoofdredacteur van een nieuw “groen” processing journal. Deze journal wordt in februari gelanceerd op IMRET 12 in Lyon.
Meer informatie klik hier

VU published in Journal of the American Chemical Society

Susan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:12:57 +0000

Koop Lammertsma, Chris Slootweg and co-workers have published the pre-organized P/B-based Frustrated Lewis Pair tBu₂CH₂BPh₂(see picture) in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (J.Am.Chem.Soc.2012, 134,201) and showed that this simple main-group compound can store hydrogen as well as carbon dioxide.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

13 March 2012

Susan — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:54:30 +0000

Matteo Duca
“Electrocatalysis of the nitrite reduction - A mechanistic study”
Promotor: Prof. Dr. Marc T.M. Koper (Leiden University)

Ulf Hanefeld Personal Professor of Biocatalysis

Susan — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:10:31 +0000

At Tuesday, October 18, Dr. Ulf Hanefeld has been appointed as Personal Professor of Biocatalysis at the Department of Biotechnology by the Board of Professors of Delft University of Technology. Hanefeld graduated in 1993 magna cum laude at the Georg-August-Universität in Göttingen. He subsequently held several postdoctoral positions at internationally renowned universities such as Imperial College London and University of Cambridge. A KNAW-fellowship followed and in 2007 he was appointed as Associate Professor within the Biocatalysis and Organic Chemistry (BOC) Section of the Department of Biotechnology.

Since his appointment Hanefeld specialised in the fields of (1) the hydroxynitrile lyase enzymes, (2) heterogeneous catalysis combined with biocatalysis, with (3) as overall theme the catalytic formation of carbon-carbon bonds. Besides his extensive research portfolio, Hanefeld is an important figurehead for education in biocatalysis, which is an important focus area of the Department of Biotechnology. As personal professor, Dr. Hanefeld will remain active within the section Biocatalysis and Organic Chemistry.

16 January 2012

Susan — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:21:56 +0000

Peter Ngene
“Nanoconfined alkali-metal borohydrides for reversible hydrogen storage”
Promotor: Prof.dr.ir. K.P. de Jong, Dr. P.E. de Jongh (Utrecht University)

Papers Utrecht University in Nature Chemistry/Angewandte Chemie

Susan — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:45:41 +0000

A recent paper from the Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group in Utrecht has appeared in Nature Chemistry. The article, entitled ‘Catalytic activity in individual cracking catalyst particles imaged throughout different life stages by selective staining’ is authored by I.L.C. Buurmans, J. Ruiz-Martinez, W.V. Knowles, D. van der Beek, J.A. Bergwerff, E.T.C. Vogt and B.M. Weckhuysen and is published in Nature Chemistry 3 (2011) 862-867.
This paper is also featured in the News&Views article ‘Stain and shine’ by Peng Chen in Nature Chemistry 3 (2011) 839-840.

Furthermore, an interesting paper is published in Angewandte Chemie, International Edition:
* ‘Dynamic X-Ray Diffraction Computed Tomography Reveals Real-Time Insight into Catalyst Active Phase Evolution’
Authored by S.D.M. Jacques, M. Di Michiel, A.M. Beale, T. Sochi, M.G. O’Brien, L. Espinosa-Alonso, B.M. Weckhuysen and P. Barnesthe, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 50 (2011) 10148-10152.

22 December 2011

Susan — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:15:19 +0000

Tiddo Mooibroek
“Towards a sustainable synthesis of aromatic isocyanates”
Promotores: Prof.dr. E. Bouwman and Prof.dr. E. Drent (Leiden University)

Vulcanus in Japan programme

Susan — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:21:04 +0000

What is it?
Vulcanus in Japan started in 1997. The programme consists of industrial placements for EU students. It starts in September and ends in August of the following year in order to accommodate the academic year in EU Member States.

The students follow:
- a one-week seminar on Japan,
- a four-month intensive Japanese language course,
- and then an eight-month traineeship in a Japanese company.

Objectives
To study the range of advanced technologies employed by a leading Japanese host company.
To learn Japanese and to understand and appreciate Japanese culture with a view to an enriching one year experience abroad.
To be well placed in your future career to interact with Japanese businesses and people.

Are you eligible?
At the time of application, you must be both:
- an EU citizen
- a student of engineering or science in at least the third year of a course at an EU University *.

In accordance with the regulations of their respective universities, the students will be either undergraduates or postgraduate students who are able to take a year out - as a recognised part of their course or as a year off - or postgraduates.

* Computer science, science engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical, electronics, biotechnology, electrical engineering, physics, telecommunication, nuclear engineering, civil engineering, metal materials, ceramics, production system,…

Who pays what
This programme is financed by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and the Japanese host company. The European students are awarded a grant (Yen 2.000.000) to cover the cost of travel to and from Japan and living expenses in Japan. There is no charge for the language course and seminar, and accommodation is provided free of charge during the course and seminar and the company traineeship.

Selection criteria
Applicants are selected on the basis of their academic record and the opinion of their tutors, their knowledge of written and spoken English, their motivation, their attitude to EU-Japan relations and their ability to adapt to a different culture.

Vulcanus in Japan programme http://www.eu-japan.eu/global/vulcanus-in-japan.html