The students from my BIG-NSE year still meet once a week, and we regularly discuss our work
30 June 2017
To mark the 10-year anniversary of BIG-NSE, UniCat asks current members of the graduate school about their experiences and impressions
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Rhea Christodoulou, a child of Europe – with Northern German and Northern Greek roots – grew up in Hamburg and studied process engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg (TUHH). She there wrote her master’s thesis on Chemical Reaction Technology under Professor Raimund Horn, a former UniCat junior research group leader.
There were many good reasons that led her to apply to the BIG-NSE. She is currently writing her doctoral thesis on selective oxidation of alkanes and their study through kinetic and spectroscopic profile measurements in a fixed-bed reactor at the UniCat – BASF JointLab.
She spoke to UniCat about her research, the BIG-NSE graduate school, BasCat, and her plans for the future.
You were born in Hamburg and have Greek roots as well?
Yes, my family on my father’s side comes from the northern Greek city, Thessaloniki. Interestingly both cities are the second largest in their respective countries and the most important economic factor in both cities is its harbour.
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You studied at the Technical University of Hamburg and graduated with a master's degree in process engineering. Please tell us about that.
The TUHH is a rather young and small university, with about 6,000 students. While studying for my master’s degree I had already decided to focus on chemical reaction technology. Consequently, I wrote my master’s thesis at the Institute of Chemical Reaction Engineering under Professor Horn.
Before his appointment at the TUHH, Raimund Horn was a junior research group leader at the UniCat Cluster of Excellence. Is that why you applied for a BIG-NSE scholarship?
There were many good reasons to apply. For one, there is a great opportunity for networking here. To be able to meet and share experiences with people with similar interests is definitely a great incentive. In addition, as a new member of the TU Berlin I find it particularly beneficial to get to know the various working groups of the UniCat Clusters. Through the series of lectures offered in the initial phase, I saw a good opportunity to further deepen my engagement in the subject of catalysis.
In addition to the more professional motives, there were also personal ones. I really liked that this is an international program. I encounter different cultures with great interest, so the opportunity to interact with internationally qualified people was particularly attractive.
You are now doing your doctorate on the selective oxidation of alkanes. What is that about?
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The core of this research is the locally and temporally resolved investigation of selective oxidations. Typical selective oxidations of alkanes, which are still being intensively researched, are, for example, the oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride, the oxidation of propane to acrylic acid, and the dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene. Through the development of a profile reactor, the simultaneous detection of temperature and concentration profiles, as well as spectroscopic profiles, is made possible. Raman spectroscopy allows the dependence of the catalyst state on its chemical and physical environment to be investigated.
Furthermore, it becomes possible to identify and quantify locally resolved concentration profiles of intermediates, which are formed within the catalytic bed and continue to react. These findings can be used to better understand the reaction mechanisms of the systems that are to be studied. The resulting large volume of information can then be used to model the profiles through numerical methods and to derive kinetics.
What influence does the interdisciplinary approach of the working group and the BIG-NSE have on your work?
The biggest influence on my work certainly comes from the exchange with my BasCat colleagues. While many of my colleagues are chemists, I am an engineer.
Through these differing perspectives discussions are enriched and horizons expanded. In our institute we both manufacture new heterogeneous catalysts, and test these through testing facilities. For this, of course, a strong interdisciplinary approach is required. A common scientific language must be found and the newly found knowledge must then also make its way back to our colleagues.
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At the BIG-NSE the interdisciplinary approach clearly takes on a new dimension. Because so many of the BIG-NSE members come from the most varied areas of UniCat, I delve into thematic areas, with which I would otherwise not have any contact within my working environment.
The students from my BIG-NSE year still meet once a week and we regularly discuss our work. In particular, I noticed that every field has a somewhat unique working style. This realization helps me to widen and reflect upon my own methodology.
BasCat is a joint UniCat-BASF laboratory, a cooperation between TU Berlin and BASF. What influence does the proximity to the industrial sector have on your work and your future plans?
Without BASF's financial support, my work would not be possible in this way. There is certainly no obscuring the fact that a company like BASF has different interests than a university institution. Nonetheless, I find that BasCat is a fine example of how overlapping interests can be found.
At the moment, I can envision either switching directly over to the industrial sector after completing my doctorate, or seeking a post-doc position. But I don’t see the need to already make that decision. Even if I decide on a career in the industrial sector, I still see my future lying in research and development.
How would you rate the initial phase at the BIG-NSE? What did this phase provide you with, specifically in regards to your time at BIG-NSE?
The initial phase was a fantastic time. I didn’t study at the TU Berlin, and so I didn’t know the university-specific structure. During the initial phase, many UniCat professors introduced their study topics through lectures, providing an overview of the scope of UniCat. Moreover, the idea behind this concept emerged clearly. Finally, these lectures provided a refresher of knowledge gained through previous studies, and some new knowledge was acquired.
In addition to this, I am lucky to be part of a very friendly and competent year. We all got to know each other very well during the initial phase, and I still call many of them friends today. It is a truly international year. Transcultural exchanges reach across nearly all continents. In addition to the scientific work, we baked Christmas cookies together, celebrated Chinese New Year in the Spring, and embarked on a culinary trip around the world.
The questions were asked by Dr. Martin Penno