Heterogeneous Catalysis and Sustainable Chemistry
Welcome to the Rothenberg group webspace!
Our mission statement
To discover new catalysts and materials for sustainable chemistry and energy applications, and have lots of fun meanwhile.
Research strategy
Our research focuses on understanding what makes catalysis tick. We work chiefly on fundamental processes that are related to bulk chemicals and sustainable energy solutions. The applications include coal-to-liquid (CTL) and biomass-to-liquid (BTL), as well as biomass to chemicals and finding new catalytic routes to a variety of industrial materials.
The group's strengths are in catalyst design, catalyst synthesis and testing, and catalyst characterisation under real-life conditions. We specialise in the synthesis of nanostructured inorganic and hybrid organic/inorganic materials, and in using predictive modelling in catalysis research. The group is interdisciplinary (organic chemists, physicists, chemical engineers, electronics experts, materials scientists, chemometricians and computational chemists), and all our projects benefit from this.
Laboratory facilities
Our new laboratories are located at the Science Park Amsterdam. We have over 400 m2 of state-of-the-art labs for the synthesis, testing and characterisation of catalysts and porous materials.
Teaching activities
We are involved in teaching of chemistry and catalysis at all levels.
The textbook Catalysis: Concepts and Green Applications (Wiley-VCH, 2008, ISBN
978-3-527-31824-7) and its accompanying
website, are the
group's most recent contribution to enhancing catalysis education worldwide.
This book was a Wiley-VCH bestseller in 2008, and is the most popular
introductory textbook in catalysis.
Industrial collaborations
We work closely with industry on several projects. Currently, we are collaborating with Lanxess, Solvay, DSM and Avantium Technologies.
Knowledge valorisation
Our research has led to several important patents, some of which have been sold to industry as well as to the founding of spin-off companies: Sorbisense A/S (Denmark), that manufactures and markets new passive samplers for monitoring soil and groundwater, and Yellow Diesel BV, that developed new routes to biodiesel via heterogeneous catalysis. We also invented a new ammoximation catalyst and process, and most recently a new type of biodegradable plastic.
Publishing and reviewing policy
We publish our research results in top peer-reviewed journals. As a rule, we focus on societies' journals. Where possible, we publish in open-access media or purchase the open access rights. Group members are also encouraged to write semi-popular articles for the local and (inter)national press. In general, we do not review papers for commercial publishers.
Vacancies and recruitment policy
We're always looking for outstanding scientific talent. Note, however, that all PhD and postdoc vacancies in the group are published via the UvA-web. If no vacancies are listed (in the right bar), it means that no PhD or postdoc positions are available.
MSc students wishing to carry out their research project in the group are welcome to apply. Note, however, that unlike PhD students, MSc students do not receive a salary. This means that applicants must find their own funding for travel, accommodation, and living expenses.