New Members
August 1, 2026
We are excited to welcome Ms Lina Camenisch and Mr. RongSheng Guo to the group as PhD students. Lina joins us from ETH Zurich, and Rongsheng is coming from Tsinghua University. Welcome to the group!
Publication
July 16, 2026
Check out our latest publication entitled "High Energy-Density, Fast-Chargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries by Mechanically Interlocked Polymers," Joule by Cell Press, in collaboration with Jang Wook Choi. We have been working on this for a long time (two generations of PhDs).
We introduce a highly effective mechanically interlocked polymer binder that enables stable operation of silicon anodes at high tap densities—a critical requirement for achieving high volumetric energy density. Importantly, we further demonstrate that these densely packed electrodes retain excellent fast-charging capability.
Thanks to Gyuwon Seo, Ahmed Elabd, Seung Hyun Jeong, and Leonie Braks for their hard work!
Publication
July 15, 2026
Our latest publication, entitled "Molecular Interfacial Regulators Enable Stable Sulfide Electrolytes for High-Performance All-Solid-State Batteries," has just been accepted for publication in Advanced Energy Materials.
In this study, we report a highly effective surface-coating strategy for sulfide electrolytes that stabilizes the electrode-electrolyte interface in all-solid-state batteries. This research has been funded by SNSF under the Sinergia Funding Scheme.
Congratulations to Laras for this excellent work!
Publication
June 20, 2026
Check out our latest publication! Murad has done an amazing job with this project, where he demonstrated Pd–Cu single-atom catalysts in COFs for the Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction under batch and flow conditions, as well as the metal cooperativity on the same crystalline support. This approach also allowed us to precisely control the positions and coordination environment of metal ions. Supported by NCCR Catalysis,
In this study, we report the synthesis of a macrocyclic porous organic polymer for size and shape selective separation of organic solvents. This research has been funded by NCCR Catalysis.
Congratulations to Murad for this excellent work!
Funding
June 15, 2026
Innosuisse supports our project entitled "GraPoreX: graphene membranes for point-source carbon capture," in collaboration with SEPARATIC.
This funding provides the critical support we need to take our lab-proven technology from the lab to industry. Thanks to Innosuisse - Swiss Innovation Agency for supporting our project.
Publication
May 15, 2026
Our latest publication, in collaboration with the Choi group at Seoul National University, entitled "Mechanically Adaptive Polyrotaxane Interlayers for Low-Pressure High Energy Density Sulfide-Based All-Solid-State Batteries," has just been accepted for publication in Angewandte Chemie.
Jihoon and Leonie Braks developed mechanically adaptive interfaces enabling robust cycling stability and reliable operation under commercially relevant conditions (25°C, 0.8 MPa), even in an anode-less configuration (N/P = 0) in sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries. This work shows the potential of composite interfaces containing elastic polymers such as polyrotaxanes to mitigate challenges in operating ASSBs at commercially relevant pressures. This research has been funded by SNSF under the Sinergia Funding Scheme.
Congratulations to Leonie for this excellent work!
Publication
April 20, 2026
Check out our latest publication in Angewandte Chemie, amazing work by Patrick W. Fritz and Eylül Attar Çalıkyılmaz. In this work, we designed a new tetraoxacirculene-based porous organic polymer for gold capture from e-waste. We also showed that the resulting material can serve as a heterogeneous catalyst for the two-step annulation reaction to yield a quinoline derivative. We demonstrated that by simply changing the solvent, it is possible to realize product divergence using the same heterogeneous catalyst!
This research has been funded by NCCR Catalysis.
Congratulations to Patrick and Eylül for this excellent work!
Award
May 1, 2025
Dr. Patrick Fritz wins the 2025 prize for the best Doctoral thesis in Experimental sciences. This prize is offered by the Faculty of Science and Medicine at the University of Fribourg. Congratulations, Patrick, for this well-deserved award!
