Our latest publication comes from University of Szeged!
Our partners at the University of Szeged in Hungary published a paper titled Comparative Study of Different Polymeric Binders in Electrochemical CO Reduction in the journal Energy and Fuels on November 5th, 2024. Congratulations to author/researchers Noémi V. Galbicsek, Attila Kormányos, Gergely Ferenc Samu, Mohd M. Ayyub, Tomaž Kotnik, Sebastijan Kovačič, Csaba Janáky and Balázs Endrődi! Download the open access paper here. Citation: Comparative Study of Different Polymeric Binders in Electrochemical [...]
Bravo, Dr Tom Masson, PhD!
Prof. Timothy Noel and Dr Tom Masson University of Amsterdam's Tom Masson has 'brilliantly defended his PhD". Dr Tom Masson presented his research in a thesis titled 'Development of novel approaches toward energy efficient photochemistry in continuous flow' on 29 May 2024. After his defence, Tom started his new job at Symeres in Weert, NL. Congratulations from all of us on the FlowPhotoChem team!
Congratulations, Dr Siddharth Gupta, HZB!
At the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, early-stage researcher Siddarth Gupta defended his thesis titled: Electrochemical CO/CO2 conversion: Impact of the catalytic micro-environment on 29 August 2024. All of us at FlowPhotoChem wish Dr Sid Gupta the very best in his future career as an electrochemical engineer!
FlowPhotoChem Innovations video filmed at DLR in 2024
Our last face-to-face meeting in May 2024 was more than a plenary meeting. We shot a final film to showcase the integrated, modular FlowPhotoChem system in action. Our video is ready to view and share. This short film was screened for the first time today, September 10th, 2024 in Kampala, Uganda at the FlowPhotoChem final Exploitation Workshop. Special thanks to Christian Siegel at DLR for the collaboration. Watch it here: [...]
Dr Ranga Rohit Seemakurthi presents at research at Multiscale modeling of electrochemical processes workshop
Ranga Rohit Seemakurthi On August 14th, 2024, Dr Ranga Rohit Seemakurthi of the ICIQ presented "Microenvironment effects from first-principles multiscale modelling of electrochemical CO2 reduction” at the Multiscale Modeling of Electrochemical Processes workshop. The meeting was held in the Lorentz Center in Oort, Leiden, Netherlands, on August 14th, 2024. Approximately 40 researchers were in attendance. The workshop assembled computational and experimental researchers with diverse backgrounds, from atomistic modeling [...]
Knowledge exchange, Collaboration and Testing: Integration of reactors for FPC's system
Partners from the University of Amsterdam, eChemicles, University of Szeged and SoHHytec spent time in Cologne, Germany at the DLR to help ensure the smooth integration and best results from the 3-reactor FlowPhotoChem system. Stefan Zondag and Tom Masson from the University of Amsterdam supported the preparation for the final experimental setup. Tamás Födi (eChemicles), Mohd Monis Ayyub (University of Szeged) on the one hand and Guilherme da Silveira Ribeiro [...]
Joint paper from DLR and UPV published in Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Congratulations to researchers David Brust, Michael Wullenkord, Hermenegildo Garcia Gómez, Josep Albero and Christian Sattler for the publication of "Experimental investigation of photo-thermal catalytic reactor for the reverse water gas shift reaction under concentrated irradiation" in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, Volume 12, Issue 5, October 2024, 113372. Download the PDF of the open access paper here. Citation: Brust, D., Wullenkord, M., Gómez, H. G., Albero, J., & Sattler, C. [...]
FlowPhotoChem researchers present results at EuChemS Chemistry Congress, Dublin
University of Galway researchers attended and presented FlowPhotoChem results at the 9th EuChemS chemistry conference in Dublin from the 7th to the 11th of July, 2024. Dr Wenming Tong gave a talk titled "Fabrication and Characterization of Cu Ion incorporated α-FeOOH/α-Fe2O3 Heterostructures" on July 8th. On July 11th, PhD candidate Hanka Besic delivered an oral presentation titled "Control over the Morphologies and the Chemical Compositions of Co3O4 for the Acidic [...]
EU-Africa Collaborations for a Clean and Just Energy Transition workshop
Join FlowPhotoChem and associates for a formative, final interactive workshop, "EU-Africa Collaborations for a Clean and Just Energy Transition" on September 10th and 11th, 2024. This is a free hybrid event. The agenda is taking shape and we have an impressive line-up of confirmed speakers thus far, including: Dr Nicholas Mukisa; Representative of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Uganda Davide Bixio; Programme Manager, Energy and Green Economy Dr Philippe [...]
FlowPhotoChem at SUNER-C stakeholders meeting in Ghent
The SUNER-C workshop "Towards an Innovation Ecosystem for Solar Fuels and Chemicals in Europe," held on July 2nd and 3rd, 2024 in Ghent, Belgium began with an opening lecture by Max Fleischer, one of FlowPhotoChem's scientific advisors. FlowPhotoChem Coordinator Dr Pau Farràs is on the roster for Day One to present our project. The objectives of the SUNER-C workshop were to: Identify & discuss industry priorities, needs & potential contributions to value [...]
Dr Wenming Tong, U of Galway and Prof. Haussener, EPFL present at SunCoChem Summer School
Dr Wenming Tong Prof. Sophia Haussener At the 4th Co2oling The Earth Summer School organised by the EU-funded research project SunCoChem under the title “Innovative hybrid technologies for CO2 conversion into added-value commercial products", University of Galway's Dr Wenming Tong will present results in a session titled "FlowPhotoChem: demonstration of a modular integrated system of reactors for solar ethylene production." In addition, Sophia Haussener, Associate Professor, EPFL will deliver a [...]
FlowPhotoChem Final Newsletter published
Catch up on all of the project news in our final newsletter here. We re-cap the FlowPhotoChem outputs since December 2023 with updates in the Innovation Radar, publications and more. Thanks to all contributors!
Spotlight on FlowPhotoChem and ANEMEL in Genk Solar-to-X meeting
Dr Pau Farràs, FlowPhotoChem's Coordinator is presenting two projects, FlowPhotoChem and ANEMAL (https://anemel.eu/) at the Harnessing Renewables for a Sustainable Future: Exploring CCU, Power-to-X and Solar-to-X Innovations meeting in Genk on June 5th and 6th, 2024. A benchtop model of the flow reactors' series was on display as was an Impact and Results video celebrating our scientific and institutional achievements and successes as a consortium. https://vimeo.com/953605935?share=copy
FlowPhotoChem assembles at DLR for plenary meeting
It was all go for a few days for our consortium members in Cologne! Our last face-to-face meeting, May 16th and 17th, 2024 at the DLR presented several opportunities to capture and highlight the results and the impact of our work. On sight, we toured the facility where the three FlowPhotoChem reactors sat in tandem for integration. Here, testing and optimization continue. We shot a film, welcomed the input and [...]
FPC at University of Galway's Threesis 3 slides… 3 minutes… 3 judges…
Hanka Besic, University of Galway PhD candidate Hanka Besic presented her FlowPhotoChem research in an abbreviated context titled "Sunlight, Air and Humble Materials" as part of the May 2024 Threesis. Threesis is a research communications training programme and competition at the University of Galway. Threesis invites postgraduate research students (Masters, PhD, MD) at the University of Galway for a series of training sessions, competition heats and a Grand [...]
EPFL's Professor Haussener is winner of the 2024 Yellott Award
Congratulations to FlowPhotoChem PI Professor Sophia Haussener of the Laboratory of Renewable Energy Science and Engineering at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)- the 2024 winner of the Yellott Award. The Yellott Award is presented by the Solar Energy Division (SED) to an outstanding individual who has contributed significantly to the organization of the Solar Energy Division-sponsored symposia, has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, has a [...]
U of Szeged publishes "Electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction at high current density: Cell configuration matters"
Partners at the University of Szeged published yet another FlowPhotoChem-acknowledged journal article! The research paper titled, Electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction at high current density: Cell configuration matters, appeared in the Chemical Engineering Journal (Volume 490, 15 June 2024, 151698, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.151698) online on April 26, 2024. Author researchers include Mohd Monis Ayyub, Attila Kormányos, Balázs Endrödi, and Csaba Janáky. Congratulations to the team in Hungary. Download the open-access paper here. [...]
Matthew Mayer, HZB presents FPC research at EcatalytiX symposium
Dr Matthew Mayer During the 2024 EcatalytiX Symposium, Dr Matthew Mayer of the Helmhotz-Zentrum Berlin delivered a talk titled- An operando zero-gap MEA cell for combined spectroscopy, diffraction, and imaging, applied to the study of ion effects in CO2 electrolysis on April 5th. The EcatalytiX symposium in Strasbourg, France aimed to examine the current and future techniques, based on X-rays or electron beams, to observe these reactions under [...]
Harnessing Renewables for a Sustainable Future: Exploring CCU, Power-to-X and Solar-to-X Innovations
FlowPhotoChem is co-organising a meeting with the European Innovation Council, imec, EuroTech Universities Alliance, and EU projects CATART (grant agreement no. 101046836), CONDOR (grant agreement no. 101006839), and EU SUNERGY initiative (grant agreement no. 101058481). The meeting, Harnessing Renewables for a Sustainable Future: Exploring CCU, Power-to-X and Solar-to-X Innovations will be held June 4th and 5th, 2024 in Genk, Belgium. This two-day event is organised around innovations providing fossil-free products [...]
Dr Stojadinovic presents FPC research at 16th IEA Task 30 Electrolysis Workshop, Milan
Dr Jelena Stojadinovic MEMBRASENZ CEO and Founder Dr Jelena Stojadinovic will deliver an invited talk at the 16th IEA Task 30 Electrolysis Workshop. The three-day meeting will be held on the 3rd – 5th of April 2024 in Milan and Turin, and hosted by F2N Green Hydrogen at Politecnico di Milano, Department of Energy. The title of Jelena's presentation is “Membranes in Alkaline and AEM Electrolyzers for Production [...]
FlowPhotoChem is featured by the Innovation News Network
The FlowPhotoChem Project was the focus of a March 1, 2024 article published in the Innovation News Network. The piece, titled "FlowPhotoChem Project: Chemical production made sustainable" provided a lay summary of the project's progress and results to date. Read the open access article here. Founded in 2020, the Innovation News Network is published quarterly and contains exclusive content from a variety of policymakers, scientists, experts and respected organisations providing [...]
Industry interview and overview: a closer look at eChemicles
FlowPhotoChem partner eChemicles is part of a league of green companies capturing greenhouse gas and industrial emissions and reducing fossil fuel dependency to generate useful chemicals and materials. The company is focusing on developing and bringing groundbreaking electrolyser technologies to the market, that enable the chemical industry to profitably reduce its environmental impact. eChemicles’s mission is to develop innovative sustainable electrolyser solutions to drive the transition of the chemical industry [...]
FPC research is on the EU's Innovation Radar
Six FlowPhotoChem partners at DLR, Membrasenz, HZB, EPFL, eChemicles and SoHHytec are listed on the EU Innovation Radar. The Innovation Radar is a European Commission initiative to identify high-potential innovations and innovators in EU-funded research and innovation projects. The goal is to allow every citizen, public official, professional and business person to discover the outputs of EU innovation funding and give them a chance to seek out innovators who could [...]
SUNERGY webinar features FlowPhotoChem, our partners and their research
On January 18th, 2023 from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, SUNERGY will host an online webinar titled: Recent advances on photoelectrochemical water splitting. Coordinator Dr Pau Farràs, University of Galway, will present the FlowPhotoChem project alongside FPC partners Nuría López from ICIQ, Sophia Haussener at EPFL, and others. Overview: The combustion of fossil fuels has significantly contributed to environmental pollution and a substantial increase in atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases. This [...]
FlowPhotoChem features in EU Research magazine
A two-page spread highlighting the FlowPhotoChem Project appeared in the Winter 2023 edition of EU Research. Read the article on pages 28 and 29 in this issue here. EU Research (Print ISSN 2752-4728; Online ISSN 2752-4736) is an open-access quarterly magazine, available in print and since 2012 also online. Every issue covers all scientific disciplines and topics from reports on groundbreaking discoveries to championing basic and applied research. Citation: Farràs, [...]
FlowPhotoChem partners at the University of Amsterdam wrap up 2023 on a high note- another paper!
FlowPhotoChem partners at the University of Amsterdam published again, finishing 2023 on a high note! Their paper titled- Multiphasic Continuous-Flow Reactors for Handling Gaseous Reagents in Organic Synthesis: Enhancing Efficiency and Safety in Chemical Processes appeared in Angewandte Chemie International Edition on December 14th, 2023. Congratulations to the team of Annechien A. H. Laporte, Tom M. Masson, Stefan D. A. Zondag, and Timothy Noël! Download the PDF here. Graphical Abstract Using highly [...]
University of Amsterdam partners publish their latest article in ChemSusChem
Our partners at the University of Amsterdam finished off 2023 with a publication in ChemSusChem! Congratulations to all author-researchers- Jasper H. A. Schuurmans, Tom M. Masson, Stefan D. A. Zondag, Prof. Dr. Pascal Buskens, and Prof. Dr. Timothy Noël. The open-access journal article titled Solar-Driven Continuous CO2 Reduction to CO and CH4 using Heterogeneous Photothermal Catalysts: Recent Progress and Remaining Challenges appeared online on the 30th of November 2023. Graphic abstract Citation: J. H. A. [...]
FlowPhotoChem December 2023 Newsletter published
Catch up on all of the project news in our latest newsletter here. We re-cap the FlowPhotoChem outputs since June 2023 with publications, conferences and public events and dive deep into the sustainability analysis of our work. Sign up here to join our mailing list. We assemble and send one twice per year. Thanks to all contributors, particularly Dr Susana Leão of the Leitat Technological Center.
David Brust, FlowPhotoChem PhD Candidate at DLR provides a 2023 Results Update
In his 2023 video, David describes the results generated by DLR (https://www.dlr.de) during the first 30 months of FlowPhotoChem. David works on the integrated demonstrator, which brings together technologies from several research groups across the project to develop a modular flow reactor to manufacture ethylene as a proof of concept. https://vimeo.com/893748621?share=copy
SoHHytec bags Best Emerging Technology Solution prize!
Congratulations to the team at Switzerland-based SoHHytec for their recent award! The Monaco Hydrogen Alliance bestowed the Best Emerging Technology Solution prize upon our FlowPhotoChem partners at the Monaco Hydrogen Forum on November 28th, 2023 in Monaco. SoHHytec topped the list after an evaluation process out of several hundred companies worldwide. The Monaco Hydrogen Alliance is a not-for-profit association that promotes the use of green hydrogen in land, air, and [...]
Sustainability analysis from a life cycle perspective: the environmental, social and economic impacts of solar chemicals
FlowPhotoChem (FPC) is an EU-funded research project that aims to design, develop, and translate to market new materials (photoabsorbers, catalysts, membranes) and flow reactors which can use solar energy and CO2 to produce non-fossil chemical feedstock and high-value chemicals, such as hydrogen (H2) and ethylene (C2H4), through more efficient management of sunlight, more efficient reactors, and longer-lasting catalysts. The FPC system combines three types of flow reactor modules, namely Photoelectrochemical [...]
HZB hosts FlowPhotoChem plenary meeting in Berlin!
Twenty-four FlowPhotoChem team members gathered in Berlin/Postdam on 23 and 24 November 2023 for a productive meeting hosted by partner Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, HZB. Others joined remotely. Updates were presented for each of the PEC, PC and EC reactors, outlining recent progress, as we move ever closer to final integration. Plans were made for efficiency optimisation and experimental campaigns in the months ahead. Our work on sustainability analysis from a life [...]
U of Szeged publishes latest FPC research in Nanoscale
Congratulations to our partners at the University of Szeged for their most recent FlowPhotoChem open-access paper. Researchers Andrea Serfőző, Gábor András Csík, Attila Kormányos, Ádám Balog, Csaba Janáky and Balázs Endrődi published research titled: One-step electrodeposition of binder-containing Cu nanocube catalyst layers for carbon dioxide reduction in the journal Nanoscale in September 2023. DOI: 10.1039/D3NR03834C, Nanoscale, 2023, 15, 16734. Download the PDF here. View our publications here and check us out on Zenodo too.
FlowPhotoChem researchers present at Galway Youth Climate Assembly
FlowPhotoChem researchers at the University of Galway presented a poster titled 'Innovative processes for the production of chemicals from water and air' depicting FlowPhotoChem's aims at the November 15, 2023, Galway City Youth Climate Assembly. This event was part of the popular, annual Galway Science & Technology Festival. The Galway Youth Climate Assembly aims to increase youth awareness of and participation in decision-making concerning climate action policies. The decisions, which are [...]
FlowPhotoChem networks with Uganda Society of Professional Chemists
On October 3rd, 2023, Danielle Nicholson of Pintail Limited met online with seven officials in the Uganda Society of Professional Chemists (USPC, https://www.uspc.or.ug/), including its President, Mwanga Julius and Sophia Oine, to explore ways to share relevant news amongst our networks, promote the 2024 FlowPhotoChem Exploitation Workshop (when the details become available) and the monthly USPC webinars, and help advance EU-Africa collaborations in chemistry. The USPC was established in January [...]
Electrochemistry Society meeting features FlowPhotoChem research
Several FlowPhotoChem consortia members delivered presentations at the recent Electrochemistry Society 224th meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden. Professor Balázs Endrődi of University of Szeged: Electroreduction of Inert Molecules: CO2, CO and N2 on October 10th, 2023 FlowPhotoChem Coordinator Professor Pau Farras, University of Galway: Metal Oxide Nanoparticles for Stable Alkaline Oxygen Evolution Reaction in An Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyser Cell on October 11th, 2023 Dr Matthew Mayer of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin: [...]
Uganda Society of Professional Chemists receive a progress update of FlowPhotoChem
Kyambogo University PI Justus Masa will present FlowPhotoChem at the upcoming Chem Discussion 2023 online meeting hosted by the Uganda Society of Professional Chemists. Dr Justus Masa’s core research focuses on electrocatalysis and energy conversion, especially the rational design of advanced low-cost catalysts and electrode materials for electrochemical energy systems. This insightful webinar titled "Synthesis and Characterisation of iron-nitrogen co-doped catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells" will occur on [...]
Hanka Besic's FPC poster wins an award at the Solar2Chem 2023 conference
Congratulations to Hanka Besic, PhD candidate at the University of Galway! Hanka's poster titled "Performance and stability of cobalt oxides in an anion exchange membrane electrolyser" took a prize at the Solar2Chem conference themed Photo(electro)catalysis for solar fuel production this year. The four-day meeting ran on the 18th -22nd of September 2023 and was hosted by FlowPhotoChem partners at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) ICIQ in Tarragona, Spain. Learn [...]
Dr Núria Portolés Gil of LEITAT presents FPC research at EuroMOF 2023 conference
The 5th European Conference on Metal Organic Frameworks and Porous Polymers conference, known as EuroMOF2023 provided an opportunity for LEITAT researchers to present their work within FlowPhotoChem to an audience from both academia and industry. A poster titled "Novel Photocatalysts for Water Splitting Hydrogen Evolution Reaction based on Metal-Organic Frameworks" based on FPC partners at LEITAT Technological Center was presented by Dr Portolés Gil. EuroMOF 2023 was held in Granada, [...]
Industry case study with Dr Ehsan Rezaei, SoHHytec's R & D Manager
Dr Ehsan Rezaei The university-industry axis of interaction is a natural and robust element of stakeholder engagement, particularly in an innovation context. Universities serve as sources of new talent and ideas for corporations. Academic-industry collaborations can serve as lynchpins for businesses seeking to open up new avenues of engagement with the broader innovation ecosystem. As such, we continue our interview series with FlowPhotoChem industry partners. For this case [...]
2023 Research update vlog from HZB's PhD candidate Siddharth Gupta
Early-stage researcher Siddharth Gupta has created his third and final FlowPhotoChem research results vlog in August 2023. Sid works within the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group “Electrochemical Conversion of CO2” and is supervised by Dr Matthew Mayer. Watch it here: https://vimeo.com/859333643?share=copy
Siddharth Gupta of HZB presents his research to the International Society of Electrochemistry in Lyon
Siddharth Gupta, early-stage researcher at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin will present his FlowPhotoChem research at the 74th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry in Lyon, France. Sid's talk is titled 'Electrochemical CO reduction in zero gap electrolysers necessitates careful water management' and will take place during Symposia 6b in the Salon Tete d'Or, from 14:15-14:30 on the 4th of September, 2023. Sid is a Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of [...]
DLR's David Brust to present FPC research at September 2023 SP8 conference in Strasbourg
Early-stage researcher David Brust based at the Institute for Solar Research at the DLR will participate in the 8th International Conference on Semiconductor Photochemistry (SP8) in Strasbourg, France. The conference takes place from September 11th through the 15th, 2023. David will deliver a flash oral presentation and a poster titled "Modelling Study of a Photo-Thermal Catalytic Reactor for rWGS Reaction Under Concentrated Irradiation". Poster co-authors include Michael Wullenkord and Andrii Cheilytko [...]
FlowPhotoChem's Research Network grows!
FlowPhotoChem partner institutions, the University of Amsterdam, LEITAT and Johnson Matthey, are consortia members in a range of related EU-funded carbon capture research projects. Here, are three of the latest to be funded. Co2smos (Grant Agreement No. 101000790) is developing a platform of technologies to transform CO2 emissions produced by bio-based industries into a set of high-value-added chemicals with direct use as intermediates for biobased products. Specifically, it will create [...]
Welcome, new partners SoHHytec and eChemicles
Two SMEs have joined our consortium. We are pleased to add SoHHytec based in Lausanne, Switzerland and eChemicles based in Szeged, Hungary. Welcome! “The original project partner Thales Nano (TN) has been passed on its role to eChemicles (eChem) within FPC. The start-up, eChem contributes to several EU and Hungarian funded R&D projects focusing on the development of revolutionary CO2 utilization technologies. Besides reactor design and provision of techno-economic considerations, [...]
Latest FPC publication comes from colleagues at University of Galway
Our partners at the University of Galway have announced their study titled "Exploring the role of different morphologies of β-Ni(OH)2 for electrocatalytic urea oxidation and the effects of electrochemically active surface area was published in Results in Chemistry on July 5th, 2023. Congratulations to all authors/researchers Maryam Toufani, Hanka Besic, Wenming Tong and FlowPhotoChem Coordinator Pau Farràs. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rechem.2023.101031 Download the PDF here.
HZB-EPFL tandem campaign
The Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy (HZB) & the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) carried out a joint campaign at the High flux solar simulator (HFSS), Lausanne in the first week of June 2023. The experiments served as a demonstration for the integration of the PEC (Photoelectrochemical conversion) reactor of WP1 and the EC (Electrochemical conversion) reactor of WP3 to carry out tandem electrolysis of CO2 to [...]
Galway FlowPhotoChem research presented at International Conference on Materials Chemistry
A poster depicting FlowPhotoChem research titled "Cobalt oxide for stable alkaline oxygen evolution reaction in an anion exchange membrane electrolyser cell" was presented by University of Galway early-stage researcher Hanka Besic at the 16th International Conference on materials chemistry (MC16). The meeting was held at the University College Dublin (Ireland) campus on July 3rd - 6th, 2023. Approximately 200 people visited Hanka's poster. Organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, [...]
Hanka Besic presents FlowPhotoChem research at the 74th Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium, Galway
On the 14th and 15th of June 2023, the 74th Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium - under the aegis of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland was hosted by the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the University of Galway. At this well-established gathering, Hanka Besic, PhD candidate at the University of Galway presented ongoing FlowPhotoChem research in a poster titled: Cobalt-based Catalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction: A Three-Electrode Study. See [...]
FlowPhotoChem's June 2023 newsletter is out!
The FlowPhotoChem newsletter is issued twice per year. Here, we briefly highlight our progress and news. Not signed up? Please do so here! Download the June 2023 newsletter here. In this edition, we interviewed Coordinator Dr Pau Farras at the University of Galway, feature the first of the 2023 ESR research update vlogs from Stefan Zondag and Tom Masson at the University of Amsterdam, University of Galway PhD candidate Hanka [...]
FlowPhotoChem meets at EPFL to share progress and plans
The FlowPhotoChem team attended a project-wide plenary meeting in Lausanne on the 25th and 26th of May, 2023. Members of our Scientific and Exploitation Advisory Boards joined us to question and guide us further with our research. Special thanks to Dr Huyen Dinh, Dr Stafford Sheehan and Marc Lavine. We had a productive meeting as we enter an exciting phase of the project with our modular reactors starting to generate [...]
Dr Jelena Stojadinovic, Membrasenz presents at Solar2Chem May 2023 workshop
Dr Jelena Stojadinovic A presentation titled, "Membranes in electrochemical cells for production of green hydrogen and green chemicals" was facilitated by Jelena Stojadinovic, CEO and founder of Membrasenz at the Solar2Chem Marie Skłodowska Curie ITN workshop. This was part of the ITN's 3-day training workshop hosted by EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland on May 22nd- 24th, 2023. See the workshop agenda here. Jelena is an entrepreneur with competencies related [...]
Dr Matt Mayer prepared lay summary of HZB's latest Nature Communications paper
Dr Matthew Mayer Special thanks to Dr Matthew Mayer of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) for penning a lay summary of his group's recent open-access publication titled: Unintended cation crossover influences CO2 reduction selectivity in Cu-based zero-gap electrolysers. The paper appeared in Nature Communications on April 12th, 2023. Download the lay summary here. Citation of the original paper: El-Nagar, G.A., Haun, F., Gupta, S. et al. Unintended cation crossover influences CO2 reduction [...]
FlowPhotoChem presented by Prof. Noël at Flow Chemistry Europe 2023 conference in Cambridge
FlowPhotoChem was presented by Professor Timothy Noël and Stefan Zondag, of the University of Amsterdam at the Flow Chemistry Europe 2023 conference in Cambridge, UK. The two-day conference took place on May 25 and 26. It comprised scientific/technical content featuring various keynote speakers, oral and poster presentations, and an exhibition of the latest flow chemistry products and services. On May 26th, Prof. Noël's presentation took place. The talk title was- [...]
UvA PhD candidates, Stefan Zondag and Tom Masson provide a research update for 2023
Stefan Zondag and Tom Masson, PhD students at the University of Amsterdam kick off the research updates for 2023 with a new video highlighting their progress and latest work. https://vimeo.com/827599118?share=copy
ITQ-ICIQ FlowPhotoChem publication presented by Dr Albero at Bilbao conference, May 2023
At the May 10th and 11th, 2023 conference, “IV Workshop: Adding Value to CO2” Dr Josep Albero of the Instituto Mixto Universitario de Tecnología Química CSIC-UPV will present a poster of his recent publication. The poster and paper are titled: Doped Hydroxyapatites as Photothermal Catalysts for Efficient CO2 Conversion to Carbon Monoxide. The meeting will be held in Bilbao, Spain. Download the poster programme here.
ITQ and ICIQ collaborative publication: Co-doped hydroxyapatite as photothermal catalyst for selective CO2 hydrogenation
Congratulations to author-researchers at ITQ and ICIQ, Yong Peng, Horatiu Szalad, Pavle Nikacevic, Giulio Gorni, Sara Goberna, Laura Simonelli, Josep Albero, Nuria Lopez and Hermenegildo Garcia for their collaborative work on the study titled: Co-doped hydroxyapatite as photothermal catalyst for selective CO2 hydrogenation. Graphic abstract The paper will be published in Volume 333 in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental on September 15th, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.122790
Lay summary of recent EPFL paper in Nature Energy
Prof. Sophia Haussener and Dr Isaac Holmes-Gentle Thanks to Dr Issac Holmes Gentle and Prof. Sophia Haussener of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. They have co-written an accessible lay summary of their recent Nature Energy open-access paper titled: Kilowatt-scale solar hydrogen production system using a concentrated integrated photoelectrochemical device. Read the summary of their work here. It was carefully prepared for [...]
Partners at HZB publish "Unintended cation crossover influences CO2 reduction selectivity in Cu-based zero-gap electrolysers" in Nature Communications
Congratulations to our partners at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) for their recent study published in Nature Communications! Gumaa A. El-Nagar, Flora Haun, Siddharth Gupta, Sasho Stojkovikj, Professor Matthew T. Mayer in the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group “Electrochemical Conversion of CO2” saw their paper titled "Unintended cation crossover influences CO2 reduction selectivity in Cu-based zero-gap electrolysers" published on April 12th, 2023. Within FlowPhotoChem, the HZB partners target the development of new electrochemical [...]
EPFL team publish FlowPhotoChem research in Nature Energy
Congratulations to our team at EPFL for their recent (April 10th, 2023) paper which appeared in the journal Nature Energy. The paper titled: Kilowatt-scale solar hydrogen production system using a concentrated integrated photoelectrochemical device was authored by Isaac Holmes-Gentle, Saurabh Tembhurne, Clemens Suter, and Professor Sophia Haussener. Citation: Holmes-Gentle, I., Tembhurne, S., Suter, C. et al. Kilowatt-scale solar hydrogen production system using a concentrated integrated photoelectrochemical device. Nat Energy (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-023-01247-2 Read the open-access paper [...]
Congratulations to UvA researchers on the publication of their photochemistry scale-up review
Congratulations to our partners at UvA! Last year, Prof. Timothy Noël, Daniele Mazzarella and Stefan Zondag of the University of Amsterdam were invited to write a chapter for Volume 14 of the Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The given topic was photochemistry scale-up, and their published chapter is titled "Scale-Up of Photochemical Reactions: Transitioning from Lab Scale to Industrial Production." The literature review is now available online, as [...]
Janaky Lab at the University of Szeged publish in EES Catalysis
Congratulations to our partners in the Janaky Lab at the University of Szeged in Hungary. Attila Kormányos, Balázs Endrődia, Zheng Zhanga, Angelika Samua, László Méraia, Gergely F. Samua, László Janováka, and Csaba Janáky published their study titled: Local hydrophobicity allows high-performance electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction to C2+ products in the journal EES Catalysis on March 13th, 2023. The open-access paper can be downloaded here. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EY00006K
New publication lay summary prepared by HZB's Gumaa El-Nagar
Gumaa El-Nagar Thanks to Dr Gumaa El Nagar of the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group “Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 for the preparation of the lay summary of their recent paper "Comparative Spectroscopic Study Revealing Why the CO2 Electroreduction Selectivity Switches from CO to HCOO– at Cu–Sn- and Cu–In-Based Catalysts". The publication appeared in the journal ACS Catalysis in December 2022. Read the lay summary here.
Interview with FlowPhotoChem Coordinator Dr Pau Farràs
Dr Pau Farràs, University of Galway FlowPhotoChem Coordinator Dr Pau Farràs based at the University of Galway in Ireland took some time to respond to questions about his research interests, the photoelectrochemistry field and the role his group ChemLight (https://www.universityofgalway.ie/chemlight/) plays within the FlowPhotoChem project. How and when did you first become interested in photoelectrochemistry? I have been interested in renewable energy since I finished my undergraduate studies. I [...]
Training the next generation of researchers for solar chemicals production
Hanka Besic, U of Galway PhD candidate The Solar2Chem (Marie-Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 861151 ) Winter School, “Materials and Methods for Solar Chemical Production” took place at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) from the 22nd to the 24th of February 2023. The event hosted 80 early-stage and post-doctoral researchers who learnt the new trends of research about solar fuels production, interacted with each other during the networking activities, presented their research [...]
Publication news from our partners at ITQ- UPV
Our PIs from the Instituto Mixto Universitario de Tecnología Química CSIC-UPV published "Visible and NIR Light Assistance of the N2 Reduction to NH3 Catalyzed by Cs-promoted Ru Nanoparticles Supported on Strontium Titanate" in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Catalysis. Congratulations to researchers Yong Peng, Josep Albero, Antonio Franconetti, Patricia Concepción and Hermenegildo García. Download the open-access PDF here. ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 9, 4938–4946 Publication Date: April 12, 2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.2c00509
“This is the ultimate technology for eternity since it is 100 per cent green and recyclable,” says Dr Justus Masa
FlowPhotoChem was cited as an example of research developing “the ultimate technology for eternity since it is 100 per cent green and recyclable,” according to our PI Dr Justus Masa, based at Kyambogo University in Kampala, Uganda. Dr Masa was interviewed on January 9th, 2023 by Deep Earth after a run of speaking engagements dedicated to energy reform late in 2022. Justus makes a case for more government support for [...]
New publication from our team at HZB!
Congratulations to our partners at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin in Germany for the most recent FlowPhotoChem research publication. Author/researchers Gumaa A. El-Nagar, Fan Yang, Sasho Stojkovikj, Stefan Mebs, Siddharth Gupta, Ibbi Y. Ahmet, Holger Dau, and Matthew T. Mayer published "Comparative Spectroscopic Study Revealing Why the CO2 Electroreduction Selectivity Switches from CO to HCOO– at Cu–Sn- and Cu–In-Based Catalysts" in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Catalysis on December 5th, 2022. Citation: ACS Catal. 2022, 12, 24, 15576–15589 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.2c04419 The Helmholtz Young [...]
FlowPhotoChem EU-Africa meeting and exploitation workshop, November 2022
The FlowPhotoChem team met for our third face-to-face meeting in Kampala, Uganda on the 2nd of November 2022. At the meeting, hosted by Kyambogo University, partners gave updates on their work developing the photoelectrochemical, electrochemical and photocatalytic flow reactors, which will be combined into an integrated demonstrator reactor for the production of ethylene. We also continued our life cycle analysis work. To further our EU-Africa activities, the team hosted a [...]
Prof. García Gómez, ITQ presents FPC-related research at INAM 2022 Symposium
At the November 7th, 2022 Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM) Symposium, Prof. Hermenegildo García Gómez, FlowPhotoChem PI at the Institute of Chemical Technology at the Technical University of Valencia delivered the keynote lecture, "Photocatalysis for the production of solar fuels. How far are we?" The meeting will occur at the Salón de Actos de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud de la UJI in Castelló. The INAM Annual Symposium [...]
November 2022 newsletter published
Catch up on all of the FlowPhotoChem project updates in our November newsletter! Click here to read it online, or download the PDF here. Please consider sharing it with your networks both internally and on social media. Thank you! Subscribe to receive future issues here.
Dr Pau Farras gives keynote at October 2022 Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Symposium in Galway
FlowPhotoChem Coordinator Dr Pau Farras of the University of Galway gave the keynote lecture titled “Electro, Photo and Biocatalysis: Efficient Ways for H2O Oxidation and CO2 Conversion” at the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Symposium in Galway on the 13th October 2022. The talk featured a summary of FlowPhotoChem technologies. This meeting explores a family of technologies that aim to decarbonise carbon-intensive processes by chemically capturing the CO2 and locking [...]
FlowPhotoChem global collaboration and tech transfer showcased at Renewable Energy conference in Kampala, Uganda
The Global South continues to lag in technology development and deployment. With the fast-evolving nature of the energy sector, it is the right time to establish partnerships and collaborate with the Global North in developing and deploying technologies. At the Renewable Energy Conference (REC22) held in Kololo Independence Park in Kampala, Uganda on November 3rd, 2022, a session featured FlowPhotoChem researchers, innovators, and practitioners from the Global North with their [...]
FlowPhotoChem presented by Dr Janaky at MAT-SUS conference in Barcelona
Dr Csaba Janaky of the University of Szeged delivered an invited talk at MAT-SUS, Materials for Sustainable Development Conference in Barcelona on October 26th, 2022. His talk is titled "Differences and Similarities of Electrochemical CO2 and CO Conversion." "MAT-SUS runs from October 24th- 28th, 2022 and highlights the scientific excellence in the electrochemistry field.
Publication lay summary from EPFL: making Horizon 2020 research accessible to non-specialists
FlowPhotoChem has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 862453. Horizon 2020 is funded with public money. As such, we are making the findings of our publications accessible to a wider audience by posting non-specialist summaries of our work. Prof. Sophia Haussener Dr Etienne Boutin The latest summary was carefully prepared by Dr Etienne Boutin and Professor [...]
Introducing FlowPhotoChem publication lay summaries for interested non-specialists
Stefan D. A. Zondag Special thanks to PhD candidate Stefan Zondag of the University of Amsterdam for kicking things off and setting the bar high with our first FlowPhotoChem publication lay summary. His recent co-authored paper, "Scale-Up of a Heterogeneous Photocatalytic Degradation Using a Photochemical Rotor–Stator Spinning Disk Reactor" gathered a great deal of interest on social media and at a conference as a result of a poster [...]
Hanka Besic presents FlowPhotoChem at Carbon Capture symposium in Galway
Early-stage researcher Hanka Besic of the University of Galway will present a poster "Sustainable chemicals from sunlight and carbon dioxide" at the October 13th, 2022 Galway Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Symposium. CarbIE is a joint University of Galway and University of Liverpool project funded by SEAI to investigate the feasibility of CCUS in Ireland. Their Symposium programme will include a broad discussion on the application of CCUS from [...]
FlowPhotoChem will be presented at the European Transformation and storage of renewable energy Workshop
Dr Josep Albero PI Dr Josep Albero of the Instituto Mixto Universitario de Tecnología Química CSIC-UPV will present FlowPhotoChem at the October 28th, 2022 European Research and Innovation: Transformation and storage of renewable energy Workshop in Barcelona. Part of the NanoGE Fall Meeting 2022, the workshop, organised by Jose Ramón Galán (ICREA Research Professor and ICIQ), is focused on European research and innovation, more specifically on the transformation [...]
Here's a 2022 research update from ESR Hanka Besic at the University of Galway
In this short video, Hanka Besic, an early-stage researcher (ESR) at the University of Galway tells us what is happening in the lab in Ireland and how her PhD project is progressing. https://vimeo.com/756329593
FlowPhotoChem study by HZB wins award at Electrochemistry 2022 meeting in Berlin
Congratulations to Gumaa El-Nagar, Flora Haun, Siddharth Gupta, Sasho Stojkovijk and Matthew T. Mayer of the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin for the award of first prize at the GDCh Electrochemistry 2022 meeting held in Berlin on September 27th- 30th. The prize was awarded for Gumaa's presentation of the study titled: Effects of cation Crossover through Anion Exchange Membranes on the Operation of Zero-gap CO2 electrolysers. The preprint of this study on [...]
HZB PhD candidate Siddharth Gupta is on a FlowPhotoChem presentation circuit
Early-stage researcher Siddharth Gupta, based at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has had a few busy months recently presenting his PhD research at three venues this summer. In a flash presentation before a subsequent poster session at the ISE Regional Meeting at the Clarion Congress Hotel in Prague on August 18th, 2022, Siddharth presented 'CO Reduction in gas diffusion electrolysers: Overcoming operational challenges and developing operando methods'. Siddharth presented a poster 'Impact of [...]
PI Interview: Dr Susana Leão, Leitat Technological Center
Dr Susana Leão FlowPhotoChem PI Dr Susana Leão is based in the Sustainability Unit of Leitat Technological Center. Founded in 1906, Leitat is one of the reference entities at state and European level in technology management. It has a team of more than 500 professionals, experts in applied research, technical services and management of technological and innovation initiatives. Leitat provides social, industrial, economic and sustainable value, offering comprehensive solutions [...]
New FlowPhotoChem publication from Prof. Timothy Noel's lab
Congratulations to Tom M. Masson, Stefan D. A. Zondag, Michael G. Debije, and Timothy Noël at the University of Amsterdam for their recent publication "Rapid and Replaceable Luminescent Coating for Silicon-Based Microreactors Enabling Energy-Efficient Solar Photochemistry." The paper was published in the American Chemical Society's ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. journal on August 4th, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c03390
June 2022 Plenary Meeting in Szeged, Hungary
The FlowPhotoChem team met for our second face-to-face meeting in Szeged, Hungary. Partners gave updates on their work developing the photoelectrochemical, electrochemical and photocatalytic flow reactors, which will be combined into an integrated demonstrator reactor for the production of ethylene. We also continued our life cycle analysis work and planned for our Exploitation Workshop in Uganda in November 2022. The meeting also included a lab tour so we could see the reactors being developed by [...]
Research update from Dr Federico Dattila, ICIQ
The Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ)'s Federico Dattila created a video to share an update from their group. Here, Dr Dattila describes the results generated by ICIQ during the first 18 months of FlowPhotoChem. Federico works on the electrochemical reactor, identifying novel electrocatalysts by first principles simulations. https://vimeo.com/690690225 You can view Federico's introductory video here.
Catch up on the latest FlowPhotoChem news in our 2022 Summer newsletter!
Our list of publications, presentations and research progress milestones are all highlighted in our Summer newsletter. Read it here. Why not sign up to receive future editions of it here?
Publication news: Joint FPC paper published in Advanced Energy Materials
Congratulations to the team of FlowPhotoChem author-researchers - Etienne Boutin, Mahendra Patel, Egon Kecsenovity, Silvan Suter, Csaba Janáky, and Sophia Haussener from EPFL and the University of Szeged. Their study titled 'Photo-Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 Under Concentrated Sunlight Enables Combination of High Reaction Rate and Efficiency' was published in the open-access journal Advanced Energy Materials on June 15th, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202200585
University of Amsterdam ESRs provide a 2022 update vlog
University of Amsterdam PhD candidates Tom Masson and Stefan Zondag share an update on their research by way of a new vlog in June 2022. FlowPhotoChem PI Professor Timothy Noel supervises the PhD projects of both Tom and Stefan. https://vimeo.com/720429144
FlowPhotoChem research presented at HIMS Symposium, Amsterdam
Early-stage researchers Stefan Zondag and Tom Masson based at the University of Amsterdam presented posters depicting their FlowPhotoChem research at the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, HIMS Symposium in Amsterdam on June 15th 2022. Stefan's poster was titled “Continuous-flow Scale-up of Heterogeneous Photochemistry” and Tom’s was “Novel Reactors enabling Efficient Solar-powered Photochemistry.” Contributors listed on the posters included Stefan Zondag, Tom Masson, Timothy Noël, Dario Cambié, Koen Kuijpers, [...]
PI Jelena Stojadinovic of MEMBRASENZ delivers IP management talk at Solar2Chem workshop
FlowPhotoChem PI Dr Jelena Stojadinovic at MEMBRASENZ gave a lecture at the recent Solar2Chem (https://www.solar2chem.eu/) workshop at Tampere University in Finland. Jelena's talk on May 3rd, 2022 was titled: "PROTECT YOUR IDEAS - Basic knowledge on IP related to research projects, Case study MEMBRANES IN ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL." Read our interview with MEMRASENZ CEO Dr Jelena Stojadinovic here.
Watch our 2022 EU Green Week webinar – video now available
Missed the webinar “Towards the implementation of the EU Green Deal through the production of sustainable fuels and chemicals”? View it below and here. https://youtu.be/E80ls4ZylvU This webinar showcased and discussed the latest innovative solutions to combat climate change, eliminate the carbon footprint in the production of green chemicals, as well as to contribute to the European Green Deal for a resource-efficient and climate-neutral Europe by 2050. The event [...]
Our PIs present at the 2022 Renewable Energy Solar Fuels conference
The Gordon Research Conference, 2022 Renewable Energy: Solar Fuels Conference GRC took place from May 8th through the 13th, 2022 in Lucca, Italy. On May 11th, FlowPhotoChem PI Professor Csaba Janaky (left) of the University of Szeged, Hungary gave a talk entitled "Electrolyzer Development and Process Optimization: Paving the Road for Industrial Carbon-dioxide Electroreduction." Dr Matt Mayer, (right) HZB presented FlowPhotoChem research in a poster presentation titled: CO2 and CO [...]
Workshop on Innovations for a New Age of the Chemical Industry, November 4th
FlowPhotoChem partners, in conjunction with their November 2022 plenary meeting at Kyambogo University in Uganda, are hosting a free workshop. The aim is to explore the market readiness of the African public, businesses and enterprises to take up and commercialise FlowPhotoChem innovations, and it will serve as a networking platform for the European partners and African researchers and businesses to seek future collaborative projects that advance the conversion of sunlight [...]
Siddharth Gupta, PhD candidate at HZB provides a 2022 update on his FlowPhotoChem research
Early-stage researcher Siddarth Gupta, supervised by Dr Matt Mayer, the leader of the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group “Electrochemical Conversion of CO2” at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin provides an update on the tasks within FlowPhotoChem in which his group are involved. Significant progress is being made and challenges are overcome with the input from project team members. Well done, Siddharth and thank you for providing an update from your lab. https://vimeo.com/709073890 Watch Siddharth's [...]
FlowPhotoChem in joint event for EU Green Week 2022
FlowPhotoChem will join its Road2GreenChem partners, SunCOChem, Ocean, Decade, Recode and Solar2Chem in an EU Green Week webinar: Towards the implementation of the EU Green Deal through the production of sustainable fuels and chemicals. The webinar will take place on May 31st, 2022, from 10.00 - 12.20h CEST. Register here. The webinar will showcase the latest innovative solutions to combat climate change, eliminate the carbon footprint in the production of [...]
NUI Galway team presents FlowPhotoChem research at MSI/SMS Symposium
Posters titled: "Control over the Morphologies and the Chemical Compositions of Co3O4 and Ca1-xCuxWO4" and "Control over the Morphology and Phase Composition of α-FeOOH/α-Fe2O3 by Cu2+ Doping" were presented by NUI Galway PhD candidate Hanka Besic and Dr Wenming (Simon) Tong, respectively at the recent Microscopy Society of Ireland's MSI/SMS Joint Symposium. The MSI/SMS Symposium took place in person at the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill, Co. Galway from April 6th-8th, 2022. [...]
UvA PhD candidates present FPC research at international poster exhibition
Tom Masson and Stefan Zondag, PhD students in Professor Timothy Noel's Research Group at the University of Amsterdam presented their work at the Royal Society of Chemistry's global Twitter poster conference, which was held entirely online over the course of 24 hours on March 1st, 2022. #RSCPoster, the annual event, assembles the global chemistry community to network with colleagues across the world and at every career stage, share their research [...]
FlowPhotoChem PhD Candidates' Research Results series starts with David Brust, DLR
PhD candidate David Brust of the DLR’s Institute of Solar Research kindly kicks off the 2022 series of research results with a new vlog. Take a few moments to learn what has been going on with David's project here: https://vimeo.com/685885210
PUBLICATION News from Prof. Timothy Noels' Group at UvA
"Scale-Up of a Heterogeneous Photocatalytic Degradation Using a Photochemical Rotor–Stator Spinning Disk Reactor" was published on March 1st, 2022. The FlowPhotoChem study by authors Arnab Chaudhuri, Stefan D. A. Zondag, Jasper H. A. Schuurmans, John van der Schaaf, and Timothy Noël appears in Organic Process Research & Development (Org. Process Res. Dev. 2022, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.oprd.2c00012) and was published by the American Chemical Society. Congratulations to the collaborative research teams from the [...]
PI Interview with Dr Matthew Mayer, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
Dr Matthew Mayer After our recent face-to-face meeting in Dublin, Danielle Nicholson at Pintail Limited posed a set of questions to PI Dr Matthew Mayer, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. Dr Mayer is an expert on photoelectrochemical and electrocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction, nanomaterials synthesis, and photovoltaics. Enjoy! How and when did you first become interested in chemistry? I started my undergraduate studies (in Boise, Idaho, USA) with the goal [...]
FlowPhotoChem joint-partner publication in Advanced Energy Materials
Congratulations to all authors at HZB and ICIQ: Laura C. Pardo Pérez, Alexander Arndt, Sasho Stojkovikj, Ibbi Y. Ahmet, Joshua T. Arens, Federico Dattila, Robert Wendt, Ana Guilherme Buzanich, Martin Radtke, Veronica Davies, Katja Höflich, Eike Köhnen, Philipp Tockhorn, Ronny Golnak, Jie Xiao, Götz Schuck, Markus Wollgarten, Núria López, and Matthew T. Mayer. "Determining Structure-Activity Relationships in Oxide Derived CuSn Catalysts During CO2 Electroreduction Using X-Ray Spectroscopy" was published in Advanced Energy Materials on December 24, 2021. DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202103328.
Congratulations to our PI Prof. Timothy Noel, UvA
Prof. Timothy Noel Congratulations to Professor Timothy Noël of the Van’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam, The Netherlands). He was one of three researchers to be granted a 2022 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award. Tim was honored for his contributions to continuous flow chemistry, building tools that bridge chemistry and chemical engineering. Prof. Noël comments, "Happy to receive the 2022 ACS Sustainable [...]
David Brust presents DLR's FlowPhotoChem research at Materials and Technologies for the Energy Transition workshop
Our partners at the Institute of Solar Research of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) have been invited to attend and present at a workshop on "Performance Modeling and Model-based diagnostics" within the POT Materials and Technologies for Energy Transition (MTET Topic 3) funding program. The workshop has been organised by the Helmholtz funding program MTET: Materials and Technologies for the Energy Transition. David Brust will present DLR's FlowPhotoChem research with [...]
Introducing Road2GreenChem Horizon Results Booster cluster
The Horizon Results Booster cluster, Road2GreenChem involves Solar2Chem, SunCO2Chem, DECADE, Ocean, RECODE, and SUNERGY. The projects have been assembled to highlight their role in paving the 'Path towards safe & sustainable chemicals through renewable energy.' Learn more about this high calibre research in their downloadable factsheet and watch the short video here https://vimeo.com/666855801. Road2GreenChem Factsheet The Horizon Results Booster (HRB) aims to provide a tangible contribution to the dissemination of [...]
FlowPhotoChem publication from University of Szeged researchers
'Anode Catalysts in CO2 Electrolysis: Challenges and Untapped Opportunities' was published in ACS Catalysis by the researchers Ádám Vass, Attila Kormányos, Zsófia Kószó, Balázs Endrődi, and Csaba Janáky (ACS Catalysis 0, 12, DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c04978) on January 3rd, 2022. Congratulations to the entire team of researchers and our partners at the University of Szeged! Abstract: The field of electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction has developed rapidly during recent years. At the same time, the [...]
FlowPhotoChem newsletter #3 is out now!
Read the latest re-cap of our goings-on in the FlowPhotoChem December 2021 newsletter here. Results are starting to roll in. Find out which partners went where on knowledge-exchange visits, learn about our EU Green Week collaborators, follow links to the latest open-access FlowPhotoChem publications, and more! You haven't subscribed? What are you waiting for? Sign up here!
FlowPhotoChem team members on the move: Knowledge exchange and training
From August 4th through the 6th, 2021, researchers Siddharth Gupta and Dr Gumaa El-Nagar from the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group “Electrochemical Conversion of CO2” at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin travelled to the University of Szeged in Hungary to learn more about the work being done at the group of Profs. Csaba Janaky and Balázs Endrődi. Siddharth comments, "The primary aim of the trip was to understand the operating procedure used by the [...]
At last, our plenary meeting is in person!
The FlowPhotoChem team assembled for a hybrid meeting on November 25th and 26th, 2021 in Dublin. Partners reported on progress in each Work Package over recent months, and COVID-19 related delays. Partners had an opportunity to update the consortium on recent results and discuss plans for the next phase of the programme. The meeting was hosted by the National University of Ireland Galway. The partners were grateful for the warm [...]
ICIQ FlowPhotoChem poster wins prize at International Conference on Frontiers in Electrocatalytic Transformations meeting
Dr Federico Dattila Dr Federico Dattila of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) presented a poster at the International Conference on Frontiers in Electrocatalytic Transformations that took place on November 22nd and 23rd at the Adeit Fundación Universidad Empresa de València in Spain. The poster title was titled “Modeling the Electrochemical Interface with Cations and Electric Field” and it won the runner-up prize. Congratulations to the [...]
More publication news from University of Amsterdam!
The team of Tom M. Masson, Stefan D. A. Zondag, and Timothy Noel of the Flow Chemistry Group, Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), Universiteit Van Amsterdam (UvA) and Michael G. Debije of Eindhoven University of Technology have just published a new study in Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences entitled "The development of luminescent solar concentrator-based photomicroreactors: a cheap reactor enabling efficient solar-powered photochemistry". Congratulations to the researcher-authors!
Tamás Fődi, ThalesNano presents FlowPhotoChem research at FROST8 meeting
Dr Tamás Fődi At the FROST8 (https://2021.frostconferences.com/) meeting, which will take place next week (24th-26th of November 2021), Dr Tamás Fődi at ThalesNano Inc. will present FlowPhotoChem research in a poster presentation entitled "Development of a high pressure, high temperature continuous photoreactor for photothermal hydrogenation of CO2." Additional authors on the study include Egon Kecsenovity and Prof. Csaba Janáky both based at the University of Szeged in Hungary. [...]
FlowPhotoChem presented by Jelena Stojadinovic, MEMBRASENZ at Research Academy in Ruhr
Jelena Stojadinovic On November 15th, 2021, Jelena Stojadinovic, CEO and Founder of MEMBRASENZ presented FlowPhotoChem as part of an oral presentation without the slides at the Research Academy in Ruhr, Germany, Wirtschaftskolleg 2021 für Ingenieurswissenschaften, Außeruniversitäre Karriere nach der Promotion. The audience consisted of approximately fifty Bachelor, MSc and PhD students at the University of Essen-Duisburg and Bochum. Read more about MEMBRASENZ from our industry case study with [...]
Publication news from University of Amsterdam!
Congratulations to researchers Tom M. Masson, Stefan D. A. Zondag, Koen P. L. Kuijpers, Dario Cambié, Michael G. Debije, and Timothy Noel at the University of Amsterdam and elsewhere! Their latest open-access paper "Development of an off-grid solar-powered autonomous chemical mini-plant for producing fine chemicals" was published on October 13, 2021, in ChemSusChem. Bravo!
JM facilitates road-mapping introductory workshop at September plenary meeting
An introductory session on technology roadmapping was presented by Johnson Matthey (JM) at our September project-wide virtual meeting. This spoke generally about what a roadmap is with some examples given from a range of industrial companies. It also highlighted some of the building blocks and tools behind generating a roadmap that can be used for new technologies, such as the flow reactors and their components being developed in FlowPhotoChem. This [...]
PUBLICATION NEWS: Partners at the University of Szeged publish in ACS Energy Letters
The research team consisting of Ádám Vass, Prof. Balázs Endrődi, Gergely Ferenc Samu, Ádám Balog, Attila Kormányos, Serhiy Cherevko, and Prof. Csaba Janáky published "Local Chemical Environment Governs Anode Processes in CO2 Electrolyzers' today, October 7th, 2021. The open-access paper can be read in ACS Energy Letters, ACS Energy Lett. 2021, 6, XXX, 3801–3808. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.1c01937 Download the PDF here. Congratulations to the whole team! Abstract: A major goal within the [...]
Spotlight on PI Prof. Sophia Haussener, Head of the LRESE at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Prof. Sophia Haussener This month, we place the spotlight on the work and accomplishments of Prof. Sophia Haussener who leads the Laboratory of Renewable Energy Science and Engineering (LRESE) at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. The LRESE conducts world-leading research into coupled multi-physics and multi-scale reactor and device modelling; modelling-based guidelines for design and engineering of reactors; numerical simulations of chemical reactions; and the optimisation of [...]
Dr Federico Dattila on European Researchers' Night 2021 and public outreach
This September, Dr Federico Dattila based at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) has been making the rounds presenting FlowPhotoChem research to various public audiences in an array of interesting fora. His public talk entitled “Diòxid de carboni, l'or negre del segle XXI” was attended by thirty people as part of the European Researchers’ Night (Nit Europea de la Recerca a Tarragona) on September 17th at the Cal [...]
Meet the Team: Dr Wenming (Simon) Tong of NUI Galway
Dr Simon Tong, NUI Galway In the absence of face-to-face meetings, Danielle Nicholson, Pintail Limited pitched a few questions to Dr Wenming (Simon) Tong, NUI Galway-based Deputy Project Coordinator of FlowPhotoChem. We hope to introduce several on our research team in this way over the coming months. Enjoy! Tell us about your background- what and where did you study as an undergraduate? Graduate School? I finished my Bachelor [...]
Our second FlowPhotoChem open-access publication from UvA!
Congratulations to the University of Amsterdam research team of Laura Buglioni, Fabian Raymenants, Aidan Slattery, Stefan D. A. Zondag, and Timothy Noël, for their review acknowledging FlowPhotoChem! The paper was published on August 10th, 2021 in Chemical Reviews. The open-access paper is titled "Technological Innovations in Photochemistry for Organic Synthesis: Flow Chemistry, High-Throughput Experimentation, Scale-up, and Photoelectrochemistry." Chem. Rev. 2021, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX Publication Date: August 10, 2021 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00332 Published by the American Chemical Society
Dr Susana Leão, Leitat presents FlowPhotoChem poster at International Conference on Life Cycle Management
Dr Susana Leão A poster entitled "Using sunlight for high-value chemicals production: sustainability analysis of FlowPhotoChem System' will be presented virtually by Dr Susana Leão of the Leitat Technological Center at the 10th International Conference on Life Cycle Management LCM 2021. This four-day meeting is taking place from the 5th through the 8th of September 2021. Register here. The LCM (Life Cycle Management) conference series is one of the [...]
Our industry case study series continues with Dr Tamás Fődi at ThalesNano
Universities serve as sources of new people and ideas for corporations. As well, university-industry collaborations serve as lynchpins for businesses seeking to open up new avenues of engagement with the broader innovation ecosystem. University-industry interaction is a natural and robust element of stakeholder engagement, particularly in an innovation context. For example, universities may anchor engagement with and support of the early stages of the innovation process through to start-up formation, [...]
FlowPhotoChem Dissemination Round-up from Dr Jelena Stojadinovic, MEMBRASENZ
Dr Jelena Stojadinovic On July 3rd, 2020 as part of the National University of Ireland Galway's “NUI Galway Chemistry Seminar Series”, MEMBRASENZ Founder and CEO Dr Jelena Stojadinovic was an invited lecturer. In her presentation entitled "Membranes in Electrochemical Cells", Jelena described the FlowPhotoChem project and acknowledged the EU Horizon 2020 funding. Then, Jelena facilitated a talk at the FACE @RUB event, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. In her [...]
Successful EU Green Week meeting draws significant audience
Dr Pau Farràs On Friday, June 4th, 2021, FlowPhotoChem Coordinator Dr Pau Farràs, NUI Galway hosted a multi-stakeholder webinar for EU Green Week to present research that is using sunlight to manufacture fuels and chemicals from carbon dioxide and water. New research proposes and offers sustainable manufacturing processes for industries. Soren Bowadt, Acting Head of Unit, Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) introduced the online meeting with an [...]
Introducing Post-doctoral Researcher Federico Dattila at the ICIQ!
Take a few minutes to meet Dr Federico Dattila, a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) in the group of Professor Núria López, and learn about his work in FlowPhotoChem! https://vimeo.com/548320505
Our industry case study series continues with Jelena Stojadinovic, CEO at MEMBRASENZ
CEO Jelena Stojadinovic The university-industry axis of interaction is a crucial element of stakeholder engagement, particularly in an innovation context. Whereby, universities serve as sources of new people and ideas for businesses. For example, universities may anchor engagement with and support of the early stages of the innovation process through to start-up formation, thus allowing industries a mechanism of reaching out and into the broader ecosystem. A new [...]
Our Industry partner case study series starts with Dr Gareth Williams of Johnson Matthey
The university-industry axis of interaction is a natural and robust element of stakeholder engagement, particularly in an innovation context. As such, universities serve as sources of new people and ideas for corporations. University-industry collaborations can serve as lynchpins for businesses seeking to open up new avenues of engagement with the broader innovation ecosystem. For example, universities may anchor engagement with and support of the early stages of the innovation process [...]
Meet Andrés Uscategui Linares, Instituto Mixto Universitario de Tecnología Química CSIC-UPV PhD candidate
Introducing Andrés Uscategui Linares, a PhD student at the Instituto Mixto Universitario de Tecnología Química CSIC-UPV under the supervision of Prof. Hermenegildo Garcia and Dr Josep Albero. Andrés' research project uses 2-D modeling to help develop new photocatalytic materials for the reduction of CO2. Take some time to meet Andrés and learn about his work in FlowPhotoChem! https://vimeo.com/549437674
Just out- our second newsletter!
Find a capsule summary of the latest FlowPhotoChem news in our second e-newsletter published on May 14th, 2021. Read it here. Not subscribed yet? Sign up here!
ICIQ's Federico Dattila discusses his FlowPhotoChem research on RÀDIO CAMBRILS
On May 5th, 2021, Dr Federico Dattila, post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) in the group of Professor Núria López, took to the airwaves to discuss his research and work on the FlowPhotoChem project for the radio programme 'Ones de Ciència' on Radio Cambrils. Ones de Ciència is a bi-monthly radio podcast highlighting the stories of researchers who work in Camp de Tarragona (Catalonia), [...]
Coordinator Pau Farràs, NUIG presents at SunCoChem April 28th webinar
FlowPhotoChem Coordinator Dr Pau Farràs, NUI Galway facilitated a presentation and discussion entitled "FlowPhotoChem: heterogenous photo(electro)catalysis in flow using concentrated light" at the online SunCoChem-hosted webinar conference about photo(electro)catalysis for sustainable energy conversion and storage into chemical bonds on April 28, 2021. Ninety-nine attendees were present. The objective of the two-hour webinar was to provide a better understanding of photo-electrochemical transformations driven by stable and efficient catalytic structures and how [...]
Introducing Early Stage Researcher Stefan Zondag, a PhD candidate at the UvA
This month, we meet Stefan Zondag, a PhD student at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) under the supervision of Prof. Timothy Noël. Stefan's research works to design, model and optimize photochemical flow reactors. Currently, he is working on LSC-based photochemical flow reactors. Take a minute to meet Stefan and learn about his work in FlowPhotoChem! https://vimeo.com/543083465
Come along to our Green Week Webinar: Towards Zero Pollution in the Production of Green Fuels and Chemicals
You are welcome to our EU Green Week webinar on June 4th, 2021 from 10- 12:30 CEST. The theme of the 2021 Green Week is "Zero Pollution for healthier people and planet." In this webinar, we will discuss using sunlight to manufacture fuels and chemicals from carbon dioxide and water. We propose and offer sustainable manufacturing processes for industries. Register for the free online meeting here. We will examine which [...]
Join us for the "Photocatalytic synthesis for a carbon-neutral production of fuels and chemicals" webinar
FlowPhotoChem is partnering with two of our Related Projects, SunCO2Chem and DECADE and invite post-graduate students, academic and industry researchers and technical and R&D professionals in photo(electric)catalytic chemistry to join and participate in a webinar, Photocatalytic synthesis for a carbon-neutral production of fuels and chemicals. This online meeting focuses on emerging research in the field of photo(electro)catalysis for sustainable energy conversion and storage into chemical bonds. FlowPhotoChem Coordinator Dr Pau [...]
Our first project publication from UPV
Congratulations to the Instituto Mixto Universitario de Tecnología Química CSIC-UPV research team of Larissa O. Paulista, Josep Albero, Ramiro J.E. Martins, Rui A. R. Boaventura, Vitor J. P. Vilar, Tania F. C. V. Silva and Hermenegildo Garcia! Their paper titled "Turning Carbon Dioxide and Ethane into Ethanol by Solar-Driven Heterogeneous Photocatalysis over RuO2– and NiO-co-Doped SrTiO3" was published in Catalysts 2021, 11(4), 461 was published April 1st, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11040461 You can [...]
FlowPhotoChem joins forces and avails of the Horizon Results Booster service
FlowPhotoChem banded together with related Horizon 2020 funded projects to avail of a European Commission service called the Horizon Results Booster (HRB). The Horizon Results Booster provides a portfolio of specialised services to maximise the impact of research and innovation's public investment. It aims to further amplify the added value of the Framework Programmes. It helps bring a continual stream of innovation to the market and beyond, and will help [...]
Spotlight on PI Prof. Núria López of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia
Prof. Núria López This month, we shine a spotlight on the work and accomplishments of Prof. Núria López of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), a non-profit research organisation, focused on catalysis and renewable energy. ICIQ contributes to strengthening the competitiveness of the chemical industry in Southern Europe through innovation and technical improvements. Please tell us a bit about your career path and your research within [...]
Early Stage Researcher David Brust, DLR introduces himself and his PhD project
Originally from Bonn, David Brust is a first-year PhD candidate at The Institute of Solar Research of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR, https://www.dlr.de/sf/en/) under the supervision of FlowPhotoChem PI Dr Michael Wullenkord. https://vimeo.com/524221801/24c98e0c7f
Announcing our explainer video!
Today, March 15th, 2021, we launch our 2.5-minute FlowPhotoChem explainer animation. How will you use it? Watch it here! https://vimeo.com/522858646
Enterprise Ireland publishes FlowPhotoChem as a case study
On March 1st, 2021, Enterprise Ireland (https://globalambition.ie/), the Irish government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets published a case study of FlowPhotoChem as one in their list of Expert Insights. The feature exemplifies how Enterprise Ireland Coordinator Grant funding supported the development of the Horizon 2020 FlowPhotoChem proposal. “It’s true that there is a lot of work involved in putting together projects like [...]
Interview with Dr Josep Albero, Instituto Mixto Universitario de Tecnología Química CSIC-UPV
Dr Josep Albero Sancho We caught up with Dr Josep Albero Sancho based at the Instituto Mixto Universitario de Tecnología Química CSIC-UPV (ITQ) in Valencia, Spain. A world leader in catalysis research, ITQ possesses particular expertise in application domains such as synthesis of micro and mesoporous materials for heterogeneous catalysis, petrochemistry, renewable energy into chemicals, nanostructured catalysts for solar fuel production, and hybrid materials with optoelectronic properties. Dr [...]
Introducing Siddharth Gupta, PhD candidate at HZB
In our latest vlog, we introduce Siddharth Gupta who is working on a FlowPhotoChem PhD project within the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group's Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 lab at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. His project supervisor is Dr Matthew Mayer. https://vimeo.com/499236925/33458a4a22 On Twitter, follow Siddharth at https://twitter.com/sid_mse and the HZB Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 group at https://twitter.com/CO2_group_HZB.
Federico Dattila presents FlowPhotoChem research to young people in Catalonia
PhD candidate Federico Dattila of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) was involved in two recent outreach activities on the 14th and the 27th of November in Tarragona, Spain. On the 14th, Federico was a facilitator in a "Mad for chemistry" ICIQ event funded by Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera (https://www.fundaciocatalunya-lapedrera.com/ca/bojos-ciencia/cursos/quimica). His presentation: "How to stop global warming?" for #BojosPerLaQuimica series of online talks. There were approximately twenty attendees. [...]
FlowPhotoChem eNewsletter is out! Re-cap and share with your colleagues!
The first in a series of FlowPhotoChem newsletters was published today, November 17, 2020. Here you will find a capsule summary of our forward-facing work to date. Subscribing takes about a minute! Interested? See here.
Interview with Dr Justus Masa, Kyambogo University, Uganda
Dr Justus Masa We recently met with FlowPhotoChem PI Dr Justus Masa of Kyambogo University in Uganda for a short interview. The core research of Dr Masa is in electrocatalysis and energy conversion, with a focus on the rational design of advanced low-cost catalysts and electrode materials for electrochemical energy systems. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your research career in electrocatalysis. I grew up in [...]
Meet Tom Masson, U of Amsterdam PhD candidate with Prof Tim Noël
Our second researcher vlog has just been published on our Media and Materials page. Meet Tom Masson a PhD student at the University of Amsterdam, The UvA, working under the supervision of FlowPhotoChem PI Prof Timothy Noël. https://vimeo.com/477110666/fa8bc6f107 Welcome, Tom!
New promotional materials!
We've added a poster, brochure and pop-up banner to our suite of promotional materials, available in our Media area. They explain the project aims and planned activities. Have a look to learn more about FlowPhotoChem!
Collecting researcher vlogs from our partners!
We are starting a collection of researchers' vlogs from our partners. In time, they will all appear in the website's Media and Materials section. In the first of the vlog series, Hanka Besic, a PhD candidate at NUI Galway describes the foundation of her research project, her supervisors Drs Pau Farràs and Wenming Tong and her role within FlowPhotoChem. Thanks, Hanka, for going first!
Our first dissemination tool is published
Researchers looking for a brief snapshot of FlowPhotoChem to insert into their presentations need to look no further! With a wide audience in mind, we have created a brief slide deck to describe the work undertaken in FlowPhotoChem and to acknowledge all partners in and funders of the project.
FlowPhotoChem makes headlines!
Our partners and other media outlets have celebrated the launch of FlowPhotoChem. Here is a sample of the stories from near and far: FLOWPHOTOCHEM: Heterogenous Photo(electro)catalysis in Flow using Concentrated Light: modular integrated designs for the production of useful chemicals NUI Galway leads €6.99m EU project creating chemicals from sunlight and CO2 NUI GALWAY LEAD NEW EU-FUNDED PROJECT TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE- GAS EMISSIONS NUI Galway Lead New EU-Funded Project to [...]
FlowPhotoChem Kickoff Press Release
FlowPhotoChem, a multi-national research project led by NUI Galway, has been awarded €6.99 million in funding under the Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnology, and Advanced Manufacturing and Processing (NMBP) area of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The European Green Deal sets out to make Europe climate neutral by 2050, and the Clean Planet for All strategy set out ambitious targets to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions [...]
FlowPhotoChem started 1 June 2020
After a slight COVID-related delay, we are delighted to say that the FlowPhotoChem project started on 1 June 2020. Our kick-off meeting was held 16 - 17 June 2020 (virtual, in these unusual times!). We're excited to be working together on this exciting and important project!