Dr. Jun Huang and Dr. Taner Esat from Forschungszentrum Jülich have each received an ERC Starting Grant worth up to € 1.5 million from the European Research Council (ERC) for their research in the fields of electrochemical energy conversion (Huang) as well as quantum information science and quantum sensor technology (Esat). With the ERC Starting Grants, the European Research Council supports outstanding scientists in an early phase of their career, providing funding for innovative projects in basic research. Applications are evaluated only on the basis of scientific excellence. Forschungszentrum Jülich has already received 26 ERC grants, including Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, and Synergy Grants.
MESO-CAT project by Dr. Jun Huang
The storage of renewable electricity plays a crucial role in the energy transition. A fast and economical conversion of electricity into chemical energy is urgently required for this. Nanoparticle catalysts made of noble metals are necessary for the conversion process. These nanoparticles are usually uniformly distributed on a substrate to maximize catalyst activity. Scientists therefore also refer to them as "supported nanoparticle catalysts". The chemical reactions, which these catalysts make possible, take place in a nanoscale interface region directly on the surface of the substrate, known as electric double layer (EDL) - an invisible boundary where important chemical processes take place. While EDLs on flat surfaces are well understood, little is known about how these electric double layers behave around the tiny nanoparticles. The problem is that the EDLs of the nanoparticles and those of the substrate can overlap, creating a very complex environment that researchers do not yet fully understand. With the MESO-CAT project, Dr. Jun Huang aims to close this critical gap in knowledge by investigating the overlapping electrical double layers on supported nanoparticle catalysts. The findings could lead to major progress in electrochemical energy conversion and accelerate the transition to a sustainable, fossil-free energy system.
QuSINT project by Dr. Taner Esat
The spin of an electron is the smallest unit for storing and processing quantum information. For decades, scientists have dreamed of controlling individual spins on an atomic level. This would pave the way for novel quantum computers and highly precise quantum sensors. The basis of quantum technology and thus of both devices mentioned are qubits - the quantum mechanical equivalent of conventional bits in computers. Qubits not only make it possible to process information in a fraction of the time conventional computers would require, but are also ideally suited as sensors - e.g. for magnetic fields - since they react very sensitively to their environment. In the QuSINT project, Dr. Taner Esat is developing such a quantum system for quantum sensor technology and information processing on an atomic level. What makes it special is that the quantum device is mobile and can be positioned within a few atomic distances of other objects such as molecules or other qubits. This not only makes it possible to measure the electrical and magnetic properties of individual molecules, for example, with high precision and atomic resolution, but also to realize new concepts for quantum computers. Dr. Esat's mobile quantum system could form the basis for the next generation of quantum technologies and pave the way for significant progress in materials characterization as well as the diagnosis and realization of new types of quantum computers.
About the ERC
The ERC was founded by the EU in 2007 and is the first pan-European funding organization for top researchers at various stages of their careers. The ERC's budget for the period 2021 to 2027 is more than € 16 billion and is part of the Horizon Europe programme. With its four core funding lines - Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants, and Synergy Grants - the ERC supports creative researchers, regardless of their nationality or age, to carry out pioneering projects throughout Europe.
