Max Planck Institutes and Experts

The life and survival of humans on Earth depends on the functioning of the outermost layer of our planet, the "Critical Zone." In the Anthropocene, human actions have interfered with the exchange of matter between organisms and ecosystems, threatening the functioning of the Critical Zone. We examine how biodiversity loss reduces continental carbon storage, accelerating climate change. The world of soil microorganisms is the focus of our interest, as this is where the molecular drive of global matter cycles is hidden.

In spring 2020, group leader Frank Drewnick started a research series at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, which was spontaneously initiated during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this series, they investigated everyday materials for their suitability for face masks to support the selection of materials and to better understand which factors influence their efficacy. The group repurposed measuring instruments which they normally use to analyze the properties of atmospheric aerosol particles to measure the filter efficiency and pressure drop of household materials.

A hybrid data-driven and mechanistic modeling approach is proposed for integrated material and process design. The method has been applied to a few example processes and substantial improvements on the process performance have been achieved.

The industrial use of hydrogen is considered to be forward-looking. But what are the material science challenges in production, storage and use? An interdisciplinary team at the MPIE is using various methods to investigate how hydrogen can be produced by electrolysis, how hydrogen atoms in the material can be detected and how materials can be protected against hydrogen embrittlement. In addition, we work on reducing iron ores by hydrogen instead of carbon, thus avoiding CO₂ emissions.

More efficient electrolyzers for the production of green hydrogen directly from water, or energy-storing carbon compounds from CO2 using renewable energy require the development of suitable catalysts. It is essential to gain fundamental insight into the physical and chemical processes under reaction conditions. Recently, we revealed key dynamic processes during electrochemical CO2 reduction. Enhancing our understanding of catalytic reaction mechanisms guides the development of new electrocatalysts to achieve the industrial transformation towards a sustainable and hydrogen-based economy.