Lars Mohrhusen’s junior research group aims to develop new catalysts for the conversion of carbon dioxide. The catalyst samples are examined in vacuum chambers using various analytical methods. Credit: University of Oldenburg / Marcus WindusA new junior research group at the University of Oldenburg, led by chemist Dr. Lars Mohrhusen, is focused on transforming carbon dioxide into useful chemicals using solar energy.
Commenting on the project, Prof. Dr Ralph Bruder, President of the University of Oldenburg, said: “The new junior research group’s work is aimed at finding inexpensive and durable materials to replace the precious metal catalysts currently in use. The BMBF’s funding commitment acknowledges the University of Oldenburg’s extensive interdisciplinary expertise in the fields of catalysis and nanomaterials and underlines the great importance of this research for society.
Mohrhusen’s team plans to investigate two different types of hybrid catalyst materials in model systems. For this, they will create combinations of titanium dioxide and semi-metal nanoparticles as the first class of materials, and organic structures on oxide surfaces as the second. In the next step, the researchers will use various techniques to characterize the systems at the atomic level– a process which typically requires ultra-high vacuum conditions.
Mohrhusen studied chemistry at the University of Oldenburg, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2014 and his master’s in 2016. He also completed his PhD in Oldenburg in 2021, in the Nanophotonics and Surface Chemistry group led by Prof. Dr Katharina Al-Shamery. As a postdoc, he has spent around three years in total conducting research at Harvard University and, and the two companies Evonik and Leiden Probe Microscopy are supporting Mohrhusen’s project as associated partners.