10-02 :: February 2010
nanotimes
51
News in Brief
The non-profit Beilstein Institute funds the coo-
peration project NanoBiC of German Goethe In-
stitute in Frankfurt am Main, University of Techno-
logy Darmstadt, GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy
Ion Research in Darmstadt, and Frankfurt Institute
for Advanced Studies (FIAS) over the next four ye-
ars with EUR3.6 million. One important research
project of NanoBiC – Nano, Bio, Chemistry and
Computing – is to specifically decompose single
molecules by means of electron or ion irradiati-
on and to place deposits with pinpoint precision USA, achieved a major breakthrough regarding
or trigger chemical modifications on surfaces. the catalytic oxidation of methanol. At tempe-
http://www.pi.physik.uni-frankfurt.de/thinfilm/index.html ratures of 20° C (68° Fahrenheit) methanol – ca-
talyzed by nanoporous gold – oxidized to methyl
formate with almost 100% selectivity and without
In cooperation with the unwanted by-products.
Solar Energy Research
Institute of Singapore SERIS, the German VDE
Image top: Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)
Institute and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar
image of monolithic nanoporous gold. The porous
Energy Systems ISE have opened up the first
structure of the material is less than 10nm and stretches
homogenously from the outer surface to the inner volu-
testing and certification center for photovoltaic
me. Reactants flow through the pore volume and reach
modules in South East Asia. The festive opening
the inner surface of the material. Top right: Schematic
ceremony took place this year in January in Sin-
representation of the pore structure of the nanoporous
gapore. The new Joint Venture company VDE-ISE gold with reactants flowing through. © University of
Pte. Ltd., founded by VDE and Fraunhofer ISE, is
Bremen/Harvard University
under the leadership of Henry Paetz. The compa-
ny is responsible for the customer service, certifica- A. Wittstock, V. Zielasek, J. Biener, C. M. Friend, and M.
tion and safety tests according to IEC 61730, while Baeumer: Nanoporous Gold Catalysts for Selective Gas-
the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore Phase Oxidative Coupling of Methanol at Low Tempera-
SERIS under the leadership of Prof. Joachim Luther ture, In: Science, Vol. 327(2010), No. 5963, January 15,
carries out the various performance tests. 2010, Pages 319-322, DOI:10.1126/science.1183591:

http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1183591
Claus Hviid Christensen and Jens K. Nørskov: Green Gold
New Nanoporous Gold Catalysts: Scientists at Catalysis, In: Science, Vol. 327(2010), No. 5963, January
University of Bremen, Germany, Harvard Uni- 15, 2010, Pages 278-279, DOI:10.1126/science.1184203:
versity and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, both

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1184203