Omar M. Yaghi

Porous Crystals for a Sustainable Future

The interconnected challenges of clean air, energy, and water profoundly impact global health, prosperity, and sustainability. Addressing these issues demands innovative, efficient and cost-effective solutions for the selective capture and utilization of small molecules—such as hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and water. Reticular chemistry has pioneered the development of nanoporous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), materials distinguished by their tunable structures and scalability. Over three decades, foundational research in this field has enabled breakthroughs like carbon capture from air and flue gas and atmospheric water harvesting, producing drinkable water regardless of environmental conditions. This presentation will showcase the journey from laboratory discoveries to real-world prototypes, emphasizing how the global expansion of MOF and COF research has unlocked an infinite array of materials, which, when integrated into advanced devices, present unprecedented opportunities to mitigate the planet’s most pressing environmental stresses.

Omar M. Yaghi (University of California, Berkeley)

Roland Kalb

Toward Feedstock Agnostic Manufacturing of Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Lignocellulosic Waste: The Key-Role of Applied Ionic Liquid Technologies

Global aviation contributes 2.5% of manmade CO₂ emissions, with projections of significant growth by 2050 unless mitigated. The industry targets a 50% emissions reduction by 2050, requiring scalable sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Current options like FT-SPK, and ATJ-SPK are limited by feedstock constraints and high costs—2-3 times those of conventional fuel, while HEFA-SPK, can only be applied as max 50% blending component. Lignocellulose, an abundant non-food feedstock, offers potential, but its conversion demands flexible, efficient technologies.

The DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) leads in ionic liquid (IL)-based biomass pretreatment, liberating ≥90% of sugars and lignin for microbial SAF production. ILs are a novel class of room temperature molten salts which, however, pose recovery challenges due to low vapor pressure. In partnership with proionic GmbH, JBEI has advanced distillable ionic liquids (DILs) and the HIPE-REC® technology, achieving >99% IL recovery. This presentation explores JBEI’s SAF initiatives and the pivotal role of proionic’s HIPE-REc® technology in overcoming IL recovery barriers, accelerating the transition to sustainable aviation.

Roland Kalb (proionic & Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)

Freddy Kleitz

Materials with nanometer-size pores: New opportunities for healthcare and sustainable technologies

Among nanomaterials, those containing nanoscale pores, i.e., nanoporous materials, are of great interest for potential application as selective sorbents, solid catalysts, or nanocarriers for biomedical technologies. Ordered nanoporous materials offer significant advantages due to their very high specific surface area and well-calibrated pores. Additionally, there are many methods to modify their surface properties, introduce functions and control the morphology of the particles. This overview lecture will present current synthesis concepts for the design of functional nanoporous organic-inorganic hybrid materials that could offer interesting prospects for separation technologies and nanomedicine. The development of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MsNs) with enhanced biocompatibility, controlled drug release and targeting ability will be discussed for their use as smart drug nanocarriers. Further, surface-functionalized nanoporous powders, monoliths, and composite aerogels will be used as selective sorbents for pollutant removal and critical materials recovery.

Freddy Kleitz (University of Vienna)

Jakob Smith

Crystals and gases unite to save energy

The principal strategies to combat climate change are the increase of renewable energy use and the reduction of energy consumption. However, over 50% of energy in Austria is lost as conversion waste heat, highlighting the need for energy recuperation. The research group of Peter Weinberger at TU Wien focuses on thermochemical energy storage, an emerging technology that captures waste heat as chemical potential energy in readily available powders. These materials—such as calcium oxalate, magnesium oxide, and copper sulphate—can store energy indefinitely and release it through reversible reactions with gases like oxygen, water, or ammonia, offering applications like winter home heating. By optimizing these materials, the group aims to contribute to a more energy-efficient future.

Jakob Smith (Technical University of Vienna)