Materials Chain
Materials Chain is the first and largest flagship program 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 flagship program. 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.
Take a look behind the laboratory doors of some of the natural scientists and engineers working within the Materials Chain network:
Upcoming Events
- 03Dec
2021 Anomalies in the electrical resistivity – how they can be tailored by materials design, and how materials design might be guided by analyzing them
Prof. Gabi Schierning, Universität Bielefeld, Dünne Schichten und Physik der Nanostrukturen, Germany
online via Zoom - 09Dec
2021 Nanocrystal Aerogels – Macroscopic Materials with Nanoscopic Properties
Prof. Nadja Bigall, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Physikalische Chemie und Elektrochemie, Germany
online via Zoom - 10Dec
2021 Quantitative Visualisation of Surface Structure-Reactivity: Next Generation Design of Materials and Processes
Prof. Pat Unwin, University of Warwick, Department of Chemistry, UK
online via Zoom - more
Who are we? Why is collaboration important in modern materials science? And what are we working on?
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 places on Thursdays and Fridays, typically from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. All lectures will be held in the same ZOOM room. Registration is not required, feel free to join the Seminar Series via https://ruhr-uni-bochum.zoom.us/j/61559986885?pwd=bTdSOTRiOTk4eGNzbC9CZEh4L3ZqUT09.
Series schedule winter term 2021/2022:
| Date | Presenter | Title |
| Friday, December 3rd 4:30 p.m. |
Prof. Gabi Schierning, Universität Bielefeld, Dünne Schichten und Physik der Nanostrukturen, Germany | Anomalies in the electrical resistivity – how they can be tailored by materials design, and how materials design might be guided by analyzing them |
| Thursday, December 9th 4:30 p.m. |
Prof. Nadja Bigall, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Physikalische Chemie und Elektrochemie, Germany | Nanocrystal Aerogels – Macroscopic Materials with Nanoscopic Properties |
| Friday, December 10th 4:30 p.m. |
Prof. Pat Unwin, University of Warwick, Department of Chemistry, UK | Quantitative Visualisation of Surface Structure-Reactivity: Next Generation Design of Materials and Processes |
| Thursday, December 16th 4:30 p.m. |
Prof. Kornelius Nielsch, IFW Dresden, Germany | From Interface Modifications of Thermoelectric Materials towards Tellurium-free Thermoelectric Devices |
| Friday, December 17th 4:30 p.m. |
Prof. Ulrike Krewer, KIT, Institut für Angewandte Materialien – Elektrochemische Technologien, Germany | Insights into Electrodes via Reaction Kinetic Modeling |
The guest lecture by Prof. Tobias Kippenberg (EPFL), originally planned for Friday, October 29th, needs to be rescheduled to a later date. The new date for Prof. Kippenberg’s lecture as well as further lectures will be announced as soon as possible.
Learn more about our Seminar Series
Materials Chain International Conference 2021
Our third Materials Chain International Conference, MCIC 2021: Materials Discovery and Processing for Energy, took place online via Zoom on November 22nd, 2021.
Thank you to all speakers and participants who made MCIC 2021 a big success with their high-level talks and discussions!
With up to 106 guests in our Zoom room, we were happy to see both new and familiar faces being able to connect and exchange scientifically at least online in these unprecendented times. We look forward to seeing you all at upcoming Materials Chain meetings in 2022, hopefully in person!
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