Wim Noorduin starts new research group on Self-Organizing Matter

As of August 1^st, Wim Noorduin has been appointed as AMOLF group leader. Noorduin is the second group leader hired in the Designer Matter group, a recently started line of research at AMOLF. His Self-Organizing Matter group focuses on the dynamic interplay between chemical reactions and crystallization phenomena to control the emergence of complexity in the solid state. In particular, the group aims to develop physical-chemical schemes to rationally self-organize microscale devices and functional molecules.

During his cum laude awarded PhD, at the Radboud University Nijmegen under the direction of professor Elias Vlieg, Noorduin developed a simple process for chiral purification by grinding crystals in conjunction with a chemical reaction. He then moved on to demonstrate how reaction diffusion mechanisms can be used to rationally design complex microstructures during his postdoctoral research with professor Joanna Aizenberg at Harvard University.

Noorduin has received numerous awards including the DSM Science & Technology Award, KNCV Backer prize, and a Rubicon and VENI Postdoctoral fellowship from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).

Wim Noorduin

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People and recognition

Four PhD candidates close their AMOLF chapter

Four PhD students defended their thesis and are about to take the next steps in their career. Congratulations to Colin Meulblok (Mechanical Metamaterials), Francesca Scalerandi (Hybrid Nanosystems), Vashist Gangigude Ramesh (Interacting Photons), and Parisa Omidvar (Hypersmart Matter). We wish you all the best in your next steps!

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People and recognition

Joining forces to study perovskite interfaces

AMOLF group leaders Professor Wiebke Albrecht and Professor Bruno Ehrler have received an NWO ENW-M2 grant for their joint research project, The Dynamic Atomic Interface between Halide Perovskites and Metals. The insights gained will pave the way for sustainable, high-performance solar energy and information technology. Wiebke and Bruno will each hire a PhD student for this project. The grant amounts to €800.000.

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People and recognition

Wim Noorduin and Arian van Asten presenting their scientific journey

On October 8, Professor Wim Noorduin and his collaborator Professor Arian van Asten (University of Amsterdam) presented their scientific journey in a video to the audience at the ‘Avond van Wetenschap en Maatschappij’. They did so alongside the other nominees for the Huibregtsen Prize.

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Research highlights

Natural phenomena ‘hyperuniform disorder’ enables highly efficient, thin silicon solar cells

Silicon solar panels are rigid and heavy, and many rooftops cannot support them. This creates a need for thin, flexible solar cells that can be integrated into building materials. However, making silicon solar cells thinner makes it harder to trap light inside the material. Researchers in the 3D Photovoltaics group found a fascinating way to overcome this challenge using a phenomenon called hyperuniform disorder. They publish their findings in the journal ACS Photonics.

The researchers were able to make highly efficient silicon solar cell materials that are 30 times thinner than conventional ones. They managed to do this by integrating a layer of nanometer sized structures on top of the material. Up close, this pattern looks random, but it is remarkably when you step back: no clumps, no gaps, and no repeating pattern. This is called hyperuniform disorder (or HUD).

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