The Center for Materials Research

Welcome to the web sites of the Center for Materials Research: Welcome to the web sites of the Center for Materials Research!

The Center for Materials Research is an interdisciplinary university research center at JLU.
It is dedicated to the implementation of joint research projects, the support of the study courses in materials science and it promotes scientific qualification in materials research.

An overview of our scientific team is available under
Team & Topics.

The center provides the participating research groups with central experimental resources in its
Method Platforms.

The ZfM coordinates the JLU research profile area ("area of potential")
Material and Energy (focus: storage materials).

Further information on our tasks can be found under
About us.

July: Picture of the Month - Juli 2024

Hydrogenation of Mixed Ir-Ti Oxide: A Powerful Concept to Promote the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Acidic Water Electrolysis

The electrolysis of water from renewable energy sources is a key element in the establishment of a future hydrogen economy. We introduced a novel strategy to significantly improve the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of phase-pure Ir_0.30Ti_0.7O₂ without compromising long-term stability in acidic water electrolysis by hydrogen incorporation into Ir_0.30Ti_0.7O₂ through H₂ exposure at 150 °C. [1] The mass-normalized OER current is increased by an order of magnitude, while the stability against Ir dissolution is hardly affected. [2] The most attractive feature of hydrogen promotion is the prospect of improving oxidation catalysis for a whole class of materials, namely mixed oxides, and for various oxidation reactions, regardless whether they belong to thermal- or to electrocatalysis.

[1] W. Wang, P. Timmer, A. Spriewald Luciano, Y. Wang, T. Weber, L. Glatthaar, Y. Guo, B.M. Smarsly, H. Over, Catalysis Science & Technology, 2023, 13, 1395–1408, DOI: 10.1039/D2CY02000A.

[2] W. Wang, M. Zlatar, Y. Wang, P. Timmer, A. Spriewald- Luciano, L. Glatthaar, S. Cherevko, H. Over, submitted (July 2024)

This picture was submitted by Prof. Dr. Herbert Over.

Further insights into the research activities of the ZfM groups can be found in the Gallery.