News & updates
Latest developments from our institute
Stay informed about new research results, awards, events, and collaborations across our scientific community.
Esther Alarcón Lladó appointed professor at the University of Amsterdam
Dr. Esther Alarcón Lladó has been appointed professor by special appointment in Nano-electrochemistry and Renewable Energy Materials at the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The chair was established on behalf of the Foundation for the Advancement of Atomic and Molecular Physics (‘Stichting tot bevordering van de Atoom- en Molecuulfysica’) with the Van’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) of the UvA.
A low-tech way to create high-tech materials
AMOLF researcher Christiaan Van Campenhout has found a new, simple method to create a material with a regular pattern of crystalline bands. The pattern formed by the crystals is not a coincidence. With a simple setup, the researchers can precisely control the width of the bands and their spacing. This could be a straightforward and cost-effective way to produce optics, electronics, or sensors. The research was published in the journal Advanced Materials on August 2, 2023.
Rubicon for Andrea Cordaro
Former AMOLF Phd student Andrea Cordaro receives an NWO Rubicon grant to start his research project ‘Mathematics at the speed of light’ at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the United States.
Julia van der Burgt wins Young Speakers Contest
Former AMOLF PhD student Julia van der Burgt has won the Young Speakers Contest organized by the Netherlands’ Physical Society (NNV). The contest was part of the annual FYSICA event on May 26th. The audience at this event listened to three presentations and were asked to vote afterwards leading to van der Burgt winning first prize.
Engineering dual carriageways for signals
Routing signals and isolating them against noise and back-reflections are essential in many practical situations in classical communication as well as in quantum processing. In a theory-experimental collaboration, a team led by Andreas Nunnenkamp from the University of Vienna and AMOLF group leader Ewold Verhagen has achieved unidirectional transport of signals in pairs of “one-way streets”. This research published in Nature Physics opens up new possibilities for more flexible signaling devices.
Research on Soft Robotic Heart receives NWA funding
The consortium Holland Hybrid Heart (HHH), which includes Soft Robotic Matter group leader Bas Overvelde (AMOLF and TU/e), has received 10 million euro in funding from the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA-ORC). The total budget for the project is 11 million euro. The team will use the funding to take a new step in the development of a soft robotic heart for people with severe heart failure. In the consortium, universities and universities of applied sciences, companies, and patient organizations collaborate on developing a soft robotic heart that can be implanted in patients’ chests to take over from the real heart. Worldwide, there are over 23 million people with heart failure, for which the best treatment is receiving a donor heart, of which there is a severe shortage.
From fundamental solar cell research to production of solar panels: SolarNL project receives 412 million to realize its plans in the Netherlands
The Dutch government invests 312 million euro, plus a loan of 100 million euro, in a national program for large-scale production of solar cells and solar panels in the Netherlands. This was announced by Rianne Letschert, chair of the Advice Committee of the Dutch National Growth Fund, during a press conference on Friday, June 30th. AMOLF participates in SolarNL with research on new solar cell materials and technologies. Also, the SolarNL program office will be located at AMOLF.
How to make a block of rubber count to ten
A block of rubber that counts to ten and even remembers in which sequence it was compressed. Physicists Martin van Hecke and Lennard Kwakernaak (Leiden and AMOLF Amsterdam) share a fascination for complexity in simple objects. They wrote an article about a counting block of rubber, which they classify as a metamaterial, and published it in the journal Physical Review Letters.