Projects
Rapid Assessment of Multicomponent Diffusion and Adsorption in Nanoporous Materials (RADIAN) KU Leuven
Adsorptive separations by nanoporous materials are major industrial processes. The industrial importance of solid adsorbents is only expected to grow due to the increased focus on carbon dioxide capture technology and energy-efficient separations. To evaluate the performance of an adsorbent and design a separation process, the adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics must be known. Due to the presence of multiple adsorbates in any separation, ...
UNIPHY: A UNIfied PHYsics-informed framework for direct, distortion-free diffusion MRI parameter mapping. University of Antwerp
SACReZ: Structure-adsorption-catalysis relations via zeolite topology tuning - a fundamental dive in confinement and diffusion in the context of CO2-to-olefins Vrije Universiteit Brussel
processes play a key role, where intraporous phenomena have a strong link with the reactant
composition. While the fundamentals of thermodynamic adsorption are getting uncovered, the details
of controlling the diffusion and the kinetics of molecules going in and out of these small-pores are
lacking. As pore sizes are ...
SACReZ: Structure-adsorption-catalysis relations via zeolite topology tuning - a fundamental dive in confinement and diffusion in the context of CO2-to-olefins KU Leuven
Small-pore zeolites are increasingly used as adsorbents and catalysts. In both processes, adsorption processes play a key role, where intraporous phenomena have a strong link with the reactant composition. While the fundamentals of thermodynamic adsorption are getting uncovered, the details of controlling the diffusion and the kinetics of molecules going in and out of these small-pores are lacking. As pore sizes are near 4 Angstrom, very ...
Unraveling the pathways of radial turgor-driven water flow in wheat stems during carbohydrate mobilization by diffusion MRI and mechanistic modelling Ghent University
Despite being the largest crop in the world, wheat hydraulic functioning is still poorly understood. A new mechanistic model simulating water flow and storage in wheat revealed that the carbohydrate storage in the stem plays an important role for continuing water supply to the developing grain, especially during drought stress. Through modelling, it was discovered that turgor-driven radial flow, as it occurs in roots, is also important in ...
Novel IR spectroscopy methods for surface and diffusion characterization of small-pore zeolites using transient probe adsorption KU Leuven
Small-pore zeolites (SPZ) are promising catalysts for CO2 valorization processes and have lately emerged in the cascade transformation of CO2-to-olefins (C2O). Their outstanding activity is attributed to their acid properties, however, the common methods to analyze acidity (pyridine adsorption with FT-IR) cannot apply to SPZ due to steric effects that limits pyridine diffusion into the inner porosity. In this project, we propose novel methods ...
Three dimensional investigation of the atomic structure of MOFs by in situ transmission electron microscopy to understand diffusion and degradation mechanisms University of Antwerp
Solid-like sorbent-electrolyte nanocomposite materials with dual H2O and CO2 uptake for 3D CO2 reduction gas diffusion electrodes KU Leuven
Global warming as a result of industrial age CO2 emissions is a prime societal concern with a growing popular awareness calling for policy measures. A behavioral change is important, but technology also needs to come with solutions to reduce emissions and, hopefully, even reverse it. Indeed, with a rapidly growing world population and continuous increase in energy demand, it is understood that a lone switch to renewable energies will not ...
Development of highly stable gas diffusion layers for electrochemical CO2 reduction Ghent University
Electrochemical reduction can convert CO2 to a vast array of interesting chemicals (including carbon monoxide and formic acid) using electricity as the direct driving force. To obtain industrially relevant activities, efficient supply of reagents to the catalyst is the critical factor that determines the overall CO2 electrolyzer performance. The gas diffusion layer (GDL) is the environment where CO2, electrons and water meet. Thus far, the ...