Materials Chain
Materials Chain is the first and largest competence field of the University Alliance Ruhr. It offers a platform for interdisciplinary networking that brings together researchers from fundamental natural sciences to applied materials science and production technology. More than 200 scientists from more than 150 chairs and research groups from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, TU Dortmund University, and the University of Duisburg-Essen research and teach under the umbrella of the competence field. The profile is complemented by cooperations with 11 regional partner institutions.
Building on the proven strengths at the respective university locations, Materials Chain initiates new research projects and associations to strengthen the role of the Ruhr Area as an internationally leading research region for modern materials and their production. The most prominent example that emerged from the program is the UA Ruhr Research Center Future Energy Materials and Systems (FEMS).
Latest News
Roadmap for Linking CO₂ Sources and Sinks
CARBON MANAGEMENT
Researchers from Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Forschungszentrum Jülich, RWTH Aachen University and Ruhr University Bochum have developed a detailed roadmap outlining the opportunities, challenges and key steps toward industrial-scale CO₂ electrolysis. By analyzing over 5,000 publications, the team bridges the gap between academic progress in CO₂ electroreduction (CO₂R) and real-world point sources... read more
Prof. Corina Andronescu awarded
Lecturer Award of the Chemical Industry Fund
She is considered an award-winning pioneer in electrochemical catalysis, and now she has received another award. This year's Lecturer Award of the Chemical Industry Fund goes to Materials Chain member Prof. Corina Andronescu as a particularly outstanding young scientist. Corina Andronescu, born in 1987, studied chemical engineering at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest (UPB) in Romania, where... read more
Integrating electrochemical CO2 reduction with industrial processes
CARBON MANAGEMENT
Researchers from Fraunhofer UMSICHT and Ruhr University Bochum — including Prof. Dr. Ulf-Peter Apfel, head of the Electrosynthesis Department at Fraunhofer UMSICHT and the Inorganic Chemistry Research Group at Ruhr University Bochum — have developed a high-pressure zero-gap reactor for CO2 electrolysis, paving the way for integrating electrochemical CO2 reduction into industrial processes. This... read more
Who are we? Why is collaboration important in modern materials science? And what are we working on?
Upcoming Events
6th Materials Chain International Conference, MCIC 2024: Inorganic Functional Materials, September 12th 2024 at Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Seminar Series “Materials and Energy: Challenges and Opportunities”
The Materials Chain Seminar Series “Materials and Energy: Challenges and Opportunities” brings together highly visible researchers across the various fields of materials science who investigate the intricate relationship between energy and materials. “Energy” and “Materials” have an overarching importance for the future development of our society. They are coupled in multiple ways ranging from fundamental science to real-world applications. Analyzing their intricate relationship as energy-materials nexus, however, is a new approach. Because solutions are urgently needed, this field requires intense interaction and collaboration across scientific disciplines and along the entire chain from fundamental science to industrial application.
The seminar series takes place during winter term on Thursdays and/or Fridays, typically from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The lectures are held in different ZOOM rooms, which will be proclaimed here as well as in the invitations sent to all members of the Materials Chain, who have been signed up for the Newsletter.
Everybody is welcome. Registration is not required. If you receive an invitation as Materials Chain member, please feel free to forward it to other interested researchers at your institution and beyond. Early career researchers, like PhD students, are welcome as well!
Lectures for the upcoming winter term will be annouced in due time.
Video
Take a look behind the laboratory doors of some of the natural scientists and engineers working within the Materials Chain network: