Driven by curiosity, Wim tries to find out how nature works using chemistry as his toolbox. The hat symbolizes how this kind of curiosity can grow into innovations that make our society safer, healthier or more creative.
From a sense of wonder to a safer environment
The microscopic mineral structures studied by Wim look a lot like flowers. When he first discovered them, he was mesmerized by their beauty and felt as though he were standing in a garden full of flowers. His fascination was shared by the editors of the renowned scientific journal Science, who featured one of his images on its cover.
A few years later, Wim discovered that they could be transformed into the solar cell material halide perovskite. This became the basis for a spray that can make toxic lead visible. Today, this lead detection spray is distributed worldwide by the company Lumetallix. It is used to detect harmful lead particles in people’s living environments. And it is also used by police in forensic investigations to determine where shots were fired and who fired them.
Translating science into wearable accessories
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) took the initiative to translate the scientific discoveries in Wim’s lab into wearable accessories for Prinsjesdag. NWO brought Wim and artist Malou Beemer together through the Art Route of the Dutch Research Agenda and challenged them to create a hat symbolizing the power of collaboration between science and art. In doing so, the hat also highlights the importance of collaboration across disciplines in creating an innovative society.
Malou is a designer, artist, and researcher. In her work, she explores the relationship between people, the body, and their surroundings, using fashion, textiles, and technology to create innovative and socially sustainable designs. Through her studio, she works on interdisciplinary projects that focus on design innovation and interaction with textiles.
A shared fascination
Wim says that it was very inspiring to work together. “Malou and I are actually not that different from each other. Our starting point is the same: we are fascinated by processes in nature and by how organisms use simple building blocks to create complex and functional structures. For example, we are both interested in processes that show emergent, or spontaneously arising, behavior: as a result, the result is more than the sum of its parts.”
Learn more
If you want to read more about how to turn a mineral structure into a solar cell material, read the following news items:
