Theory Department

The Theory Department of the Fritz Haber Institute calls attention to catalyst morphology as a key factor in determining what product is being formed during an electrocatalytic reaction. The analysis, published in Nature Catalysis, explores how the ‘roughness’ of a catalyst surface changes the selectivity for a number of technologically important reactions, including the electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into fuels and H₂O formation in fuel-cells. The results offer a new perspective on how catalyst design could optimize electrochemical processes, while challenging the traditional picture that focuses entirely on the nature of the active site at the atomic level. more

The Fritz Haber Institute is pleased to announce that Dr. Hanna Türk has been awarded the Otto Hahn Medal for her ground-breaking work elucidating the atomic-scale degradation mechanism of working interfaces in solid oxide electrolyzers.
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Last year, the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society offered for the first time a Voluntary Social Year in Science, Technology, and Sustainability (FJN). In cooperation with the International Youth Community Service (ijgd), we provided young adults with the opportunity to gain practical experience in the natural sciences while also orienting themselves professionally. more

Addressing climate change demands rethinking of established chemical processes on a timescale of years rather than decades as in traditional R&D cycles. In collaboration with BasCat (UniCat BASF JointLab), a team of researchers from the Theory Department at the Fritz Haber Institute developed an accelerated discovery approach to identify a promising catalytic promoter formulation for the conversion of propane into the base chemical propylene. Discovered in a few weeks and with fewer than 100 experiments conducted, the novel promoted catalyst rivals those discovered through decades of research. The findings, published in ACS Catalysis, not only highlight the partnership's success but also open avenues for a more efficient and informed development of multi-promoter formulations.
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The Theory Department is happy to welcome back Prof. Michail Stamatakis. In 2023, he was among the 20 internationally renowned scientists awarded with a Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Together with the colleagues in the Department, he will focus on the development and application of kinetic Monte Carlo approaches to simulate catalytic chemistries relevant to energy conversion and sustainable chemicals manufacturing. more