Prestigious grant Less expensive catalysts for energy conversion
Storing power from renewable energy sources is a challenge. Nicolas Plumeré wants to meet that challenge with funding from the European Research Council.
For his research Dr Nicolas Plumeré has received 1.5 million Euro for five years from the European Research Council (ERC). The head of the RUB Molecular Nanostructures Research Group has received one of the prestigious ERC Starting Grants. Plumeré wants to use the funds to move closer to applications for highly active, but fragile catalysts for energy conversion.
Instead of platinum
It is a challenge to transform energy from renewable energy sources into a form that can be stored, for example the chemical fuel hydrogen. Currently, doing so usually requires using the expensive and rare metal platinum as a catalyst.
The goal of the chemist is to create a less expensive alternative by making it possible to use naturally occurring enzymes that contain nickel or iron for this purpose. Since catalysts of such elements are often unstable, the researcher wants to embed them in a stabilizing matrix.