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Petra E. de Jongh

Professor of Catalysts and Energy Storage Materials, Utrecht University

Petra de Jongh (born 20 January 1971) received her PhD in photoelectrochemistry in 1999, and worked 5 years as a senior scientist at Philips Research Laboratories in the Netherlands and Singapore. Since 2004 she works at Utrecht University and since 2014 as Chair Catalysts and Energy Materials in the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science. In 2013 she was visiting professor at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, and in 2019 at the Max Planck Institute Kofo in Mulheim.

Her research focuses on supported nanoparticles and mesostructured materials, and gaining insight in the impact of particle size and distribution, confinement and pore structure on the functionality of these materials. An important application is the design of more efficient and durable catalysts, often in collaboration with industry, based for instance on studying the stability of supported metal nanoparticles under dynamic conditions. Another major research line is the use of inorganic materials for energy storage and conversion, including nanoconfined light metal hydrides for reversible hydrogen storage and fast ion conductors for all solid‐state batteries. Recently her interests have expanded towards photo‐ and electrocatalysis.

Experience

  • –present
    Professor of Catalysts and Energy Storage Materials, Utrecht University

Education

  • 1999 
    Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, Catalysis, Materials Science