SEMINAR How structure makes function: New ways of understanding the functionality of materials.

Next Monday, December 19, 11:30h, Dr. Klaus Attenkofer, Scientific Director of ALBA, will give the talk “How Structure Makes a Function: New Ways to Understand the Functionality of Materials”. Admission is free until full capacity.

After the talk, Dr. Attenkofer will hold an open meeting with synchrotron radiation users and with anyone who may be interested in using ALBA and opening future collaborations.

Conference room, LMA R+D+I building

Universidad de Zaragoza
Campus Río Ebro
C/ Mariano Esquillor, s/n
50018-Zaragoza

Dr. Klaus Attenkofer

Scientific Director of ALBA and PhD in Experimental Physics from the University of Hamburg.

Bio:

As veteran of the Synchrotron light exploitation, Klaus Attenkofer has actively participated on experiments at the second, third and now fourth generation storage rings. Starting his career in magnetism, he switched soon to a wider range of material sciences and catalysis, always with the focus on finding new ways to provide the needed information, and not shy of developing new electronics, data acquisition systems, x-ray optics, detectors and methodologies, including the usage of data analytics approaches. Educated in the German system, Klaus has spent most of his scientific career in the US, working at the APS, the University of Chicago and NSLS-(I and II), before he moved to science management as Scientific Director of ALBA in 2019.

Abstract:

Ultimately, the properties of matter and its ability to perform a specific function is determined by the structure, e.g. the variety of atoms and their exact position. Consequently, the structure characterization is standing in the center of understanding materials behavior. To observe the structural changes and the correlated electronic alteration during the performance of a function, also called operando, or in-situ experiment, allows finally to identify the active sites during reactions, bringing the dream of rational design of materials closer and making the optimization of known systems more efficient and promising.

The talk will discuss various options how multimodal characterization tools, high performance computation, data analytics, and high throughput experiments can help to deliver these goals not only to a small number of experts but also to empower a large science community.