ITQ Severo Ochoa Lecture

El próximo jueves 24 de julio de 2025 contaremos con el Prof. Thomas Bürgi, department of Physical Chemistry, University of Geneva (Switzerland), quien impartirá la charla “Atomically precises metal clusters: structure, properties and applications”.

• Jueves 24 de julio de 2025 (10h)
• Salón de Actos del ITQ (UPV-CSIC)

“Atomically precises metal clusters: structure, properties and applications”

Chiral nanomaterials have properties that are of interest for applications in chiral technology but also in materials science. In this contribution we will focus on a special class of materials: Monolayer-protected metal clusters. These clusters are atomically precise nanomaterials containing a few to a few hundred metal atoms. Monolayer-protected metal clusters are excellent model systems to understand surface chemical processes and reactivity and they are attractive for applications in sensing, catalysis and medicine. Many of these clusters turn out to be chiral. The chirality arises at different levels, as will be pointed out. These clusters, although stable, turn out to be very dynamic. The latter is evidenced for example by the exchange of metal atoms and ligands between clusters in solution. The dynamic nature of such clusters will be illustrated with several examples.

Prof. Thomas Bürgi

Thomas Bürgi studied chemistry and obtained his PhD in 1995 at the University of Berne (Switzerland). After a postdoc at MIT, he completed his habilitation at ETH Zurich. He became an assistant professor at the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland) in 2005 and a full professor at the University of Heidelberg in 2008. In 2010, he moved to the University of Geneva, where he is a professor of physical chemistry. His research focuses on the fundamental aspects and applications of chiral metal clusters, chiroptical spectroscopy, and the development of in-situ spectroscopy.

ITQ Severo Ochoa Lecture

El próximo lunes 21 de julio de 2025 contaremos con el Dr. Paolo Giusto – Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces – quien impartirá la charla “Carbon Nitride Thin Films for Energy Conversion and Beyond”.

• Lunes 21 de julio de 2025 (11h)
• Salón de Actos del ITQ (UPV-CSIC)

Carbon Nitride Thin Films for Energy Conversion and Beyond

The interest in metal-free materials has been recently rising, and structures with target properties and chemical features have significantly widened the application spectrum of this class of materials. Among those, carbon nitride materials, a class of 2D polymeric semiconductor with ideal formula C3N4, have recently attracted much attention especially in photocatalysis. However, up to now, their application in several fields was hindered due to the low homogeneity of the coatings available. Recently, we developed an innovative method to produce carbon nitride thin films with tunable thickness by means of chemical vapor deposition. The as prepared thin films are highly stable, homogeneous, and flat with a very high refractive index, even in the range of diamond. The high homogeneity and conformal deposition of the carbon nitride thin films prepared enabled to use them to develop innovative batch and microfluidic photoreactors, by coating the reactors’ walls, achieving high selectivity and conversion in shorter time. Furthermore, the utilization of carbon nitride thin films further enabled the development of in-operando spectroscopic techniques providing fundamental mechanistic insights and the critical role of surface interactions in key reactions, such as water splitting. Eventually, the use of thin films in energy conversion is still in its infancy, however, it sets the premises for significant improvements in photo-, photoelectro-catalysis, and beyond

Biosketch

Paolo Giusto pursued his Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Colloid Chemistry department, in Potsdam, under the supervision of Prof. Antonietti. After graduating in 2020 and a brief postdoc, he was promoted as Group Leader at the same institute (2021), where he currently leads an international research team of 10+ members. In his position, he is involved in several funded research projects at national, European, and international levels. During this period he also completed an extra-occupational MBA at ESMT Berlin (with Honors). Furthermore, he has been recently invited as a Visiting Fellow to join the department of Chemical Engineering at UNSW Sydney, in the group of Prof. Liming Dai, and he currently holds an Assistant Professor position (visiting) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane (AU). Paolo Giusto’s research focuses on the synthesis of covalent materials and thin films with specific chemical, electronic, and structural properties for applications in energy storage and conversion.

 

Adrián Martínez Gómez-Aldaraví defenderá su tesis doctoral «Controlling the nature of metal species in zeolites: implications in Catalysis» 

• 8 de julio de 2025 (10:00h)
• Salón de Actos del ITQ (UPV-CSIC) – online

Más información

Dirección: Manuel Moliner Marin y Mª Cristina Martínez Sánchez

Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Química Sostenible

Miriam Ródenes Carrillo defenderá su tesis doctoral «Sulfuros de molibdeno nanoestructurados como catalizadores heterogéneos para transformaciones orgánicas y electrocatálisis» 

• 26 de junio de 2025 (11:30h)
• Salón de Actos del ITQ (UPV-CSIC)

Más información

Director: Iván Sorribes Terrés

Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Química Sostenible

🎓 ITQ Talks

El próximo martes 17 de junio, el Dr. Carlos Lizandara Pueyo, Collaboration & Scouting Europe – BASF, impartirá la charla «Open Innovation at BASF Corporate Research: Examples in Catalysis and Materials Research»

• 17 de junio de 2025 (12:00h)
• Salón de Actos ITQ (UPV-CSIC)

Open Innovation at BASF Corporate Research: Examples in Catalysis and Materials Research

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Innovation is at the core of BASF’s success. With around 10,000 employees involved in research and development worldwide. To ensure long-term success, BASF collaborates with top universities, research institutes, and companies to access talent and new technologies (www.basf.com). In this talk, we will share insights from BASF’s innovation journey, focusing on recent breakthroughs in catalysis research that support more sustainable chemical processes. Drawing on our experience in catalysis, materials science, and sustainability, we will highlight key success stories that demonstrate the impact of collaborative innovation. The second part of the talk will explore the technical details of successful academic collaborations in the fields of catalysis and materials research, illustrating how joint efforts are driving progress toward more sustainable chemical solutions.

Dr. Carlos Lizandara Pueyo

Dr. Carlos Lizandara Pueyo is a chemist with a background in catalysis, materials science, and sustainable chemistry. He earned his PhD in Natural Sciences from the University of Konstanz and held a Marie Curie Fellowship at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), where he focused on asymmetric catalysis. Since joining BASF in 2013, he has contributed to innovation projects supporting the transition to cleaner chemical processes, including hydrogen production, CO₂ utilization, and polymer recycling. From 2020 to 2023, he was a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, as part of the California Research Alliance by BASF, where he collaborated on academic research in electrocatalysis and materials development. He currently leads the Collaboration & Scouting Europe team at BASF, advancing the company’s innovation strategy through partnerships, technology scouting, and early-stage business incubation. Throughout his career, he has prioritized cross-disciplinary collaboration to help drive more sustainable solutions in the chemical industry.