Institutskolloquium
Discovery, Invention, Innovation – 40 years in Porous Materials
Over a period of about 75 years in both industrial and academic research a vast majority of porous carbon, silica, zeolites, metal organic frameworks were detected (nobel prize materials in 2025). In addition, several tenthousands of structures are theoretically predicted. Surface areas of metastable porous materials - as one of descriptors of properties - meanwhile have increased about 20-fold.
Ironically, only less than a double-digit cases of solids structures paved its way from discovery into invention and finally innovation (ion-exchange, adsorption, catalysis…), however, those are powerful global contributions of technology framing our daily life.
The talk aims at outlining drivers - basics as well as key factors - being necessary to successfully propel ideas and observations into value generating commercialization. Technology influencers like social demand, technology push, market pull will be discussed, and the term ´innovation´ will be clarified and quantified.
Results will be adressed from former joint collaboration with the group of J. Kärger and coworkers and its outcome in industrial practical.
Examples are given refering to refinery, chemical and environmental applications of a few zeolites, e.g. BEA, MFI, FAU, MOR, CHA and a limited number of MOFs and silica. It will be critically questioned what we need in future to accelerate development and how to increase the success rate.
´Make them – use them´ was a strategy in porous materials for many years in research. Will A.I. provide a tool to get into even more value-generating applications more quickly ?
It will be indicated which challenging projects should be tackled in the near future and posing the question which role porous materials can play, e.g. in reducing 420 ppm of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Will carbon dioxide act as future raw material starting a C1-chemistry ? Can porous media and single site catalysts play a role? Will MOFs be the materials of choice?
Based on fourty years of experience in the field, a checklist for daily use will be provided to the audience in advance.
Autor: D. Poppitz