Maxnet Energy Group

The future energy infrastructure will use a multiple solution of energy conversion and storage depending on geography, needs and level of technological progress. Among the complex solution grid, the chemical conversion of the small molecules (e.g. water, carbon dioxide etc.) will position the important role in case of possibility to drive the corresponding chemical reactions with sufficient kinetic rates using economically suitable systems. The successful search of such catalytic systems requires the prohibited understanding of on-going chemistry and combined expertise in chemistry, catalysis, material science and engineering. Such research cooperation was realized through MAXNET Energy consortium, which consolidates the experimental achievements, computational skills and great ideas of eight Max Planck Institutes and two external partners [1].  A variety of expertise offer a possibility to consider the chemical conversion of energy from different points of view: atomistic understanding of chemical processes, catalyst material and its properties, integration of the catalyst into industrially relevant systems, optimization of operating conditions etc. For more details: https://maxnetenergy.cec.mpg.de/.

Intermetallic compounds (IMCs) comprises nowadays an increasing interest in the catalysis and electrocatalysis fields due to their unique electronic and adsorption properties as well as improved stability (compared to alloys and elements) [2].  Therefore, granting a long-standing expertise in novel approaches of synthesis of intermetallic compounds (IMCs), crystal structure characterization and prediction of electronic structure as well as deep insight into chemical bonding of these compounds, Chemical Metal Science department at MPI CPfS works a part of MAXNET Energy (Chemical properties of intermetallic compounds) in close cooperation with the Fritz Haber Institute (Berlin) and MPI CEC (Muhlheim an der Ruhr). 

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