Dr. Wolfgang N. SCHMIDT and Dr. Claudia WEIDENTHALER from Max-Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung were invited to visit the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences on Apr 22.  

A presentation with the title of “Zeolite Formation-from Early Silicate Condensation to the Final Crystals” was given by Dr. SCHMIDT. He mainly introduced three aspects of his research, i.e. the application of zeolite and related molecular sieves, the formation mechanism of zeolite through silicate condensation, and the characterization of zeolite crystal structure by liquid NMR technique. The talk gave important guidance for the study of extremely final catalyst materials. Dr. SCHMIDT also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. 

Dr. WEIDENTHALER presented a lecture titled “Structure-property Relation of Catalysts Studied by Diffraction Techniques". The lecture was begun with self-assembled high-temperature and high-pressure in-situ diffraction technique. Furthermore, relying on such a powerful tool, an attempt towards achieving hydrogen storage in complex metal oxide (e.g. NiFe₂O₄) through NH₃ decomposition and understanding the mechanism of hydrogen storage and release under varying conditions was discussed.  

The two lectures were hosted by Prof. JIANG Heqing, the Director of Membrane and Energy-saving Technology Center of QIBEBT. During their stay at QIBEBT, Dr. SCHMIDT and Dr. WEIDENTHALER visited the Membrane Separation and Catalysis Group for in-depth discussion, which laid good foundation for potential collaboration between Max-Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung and QIBEBT.