Marc-Olivier Coppens

address:

DelftChemTech
Physical Chemistry & Molecular Thermodynamics
Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL Delft

room:

DCT-building (0.429/0.222)

telephone:

015-2784399, 015-2784748

fax:

015-2785006

e-mail:

M.O.Coppens(a)tnw.tudelft.nl

http:

www.dct.tudelft.nl/pcmt/html/coppens.html

Nature-Inspired Chemical Engineering
Toward Sustainable Chemical Engineering by Learning from the Architecture of Nature

The NICE group researches nature-inspired roads to make chemical technology more sustainable by increasing efficiency and effectiveness of products and processes.

We especially focus on universal, hierarchical patterns and symmetries appearing in nature, such as self-similarity, which link the micro- and the macro-scale in a very efficient, scalable way. From the architecture of nature and the life sciences, lessons are drawn to introduce new, rational designs of products and processes, e.g., for catalysis, chemical reactor engineering, separations or other applications involving porous materials.

At the heart of these rational, nature-inspired designs lies a better understanding and control of physico-chemical phenomena spanning multiple length and time scales. For this reason, much of our attention goes to the development of mesoscopic theories and hierarchical, statistical mechanical modeling approaches.

Current research subjects vary from novel ways to "structure" fluidized beds and other multiphase reactors, to the design and synthesis of new hierarchical and bio-mimetic porous materials, and the modeling of transport phenomena in porous materials.

Post-doctoral research fellows:

Ph.D. students:

M.Sc. students and junior research fellows:

Former Group Members:

Physical Chemistry and Molecular Thermodynamics
Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL Delft, The Netherlands, Phone: +31 15 2784748, Fax: +31 15 2788047,
Last update: 12 July, 2006 webmaster