The prize for the period of 2012-2013 will be awarded to Dr. Peter Ngene who has been nominated by Prof. dr. Petra de Jongh of Utrecht University. Prof. De Jongh was his promotor and he also did his master’s thesis in Utrecht on a similar topic: ‘Nano-confined complex hydrides for reversible hydrogen storage’.
One of the main criteria for the price is that the wide field of physical and inorganic chemistry should benefit from the work. In this particular case of Peter Ngene’s research on nano confinement, it is widely recognized as being of crucial importance to the thermodynamic properties on the nano scale and probably one of the most important contributions of present day research. His recent appointment as assistant professor at Utrecht University in the department of Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis guarantees a broader scope of interest than his former research field on the use of nano-confined metal hydrides namely as solid state electrolyte for rechargeable Li-ion batteries. As a further support, one of our reviewers remarked that such electrolytes will only function as such when strict consideration is given to the interface with the electrodes of the batteries.
The period from his promotion until his appointment in Utrecht, Peter spent as a post-doctoral fellow in Delft with Prof. dr. Dam. This resulted in two patent applications that, together with his considerable publication list of well-cited high quality publications, testify the originality, quality and impact of his research.
Peter has demonstrated to have a keen eye for the fundamental problems in his field. In collaboration with other researchers in the field he developed various novel points of view such as the precise role of the Nickel catalyst in 'his' metal hydrides.
The selection committee therefore concluded that, though the only nominee for this period, Dr. Peter Ngene is a very worthy recipient of this award. We congratulate him with this honour. Congratulations also to his family and friends, and may it serve as a stimulation to continue to perform excellent research in the future and inspire young researchers to do likewise.
The selection committee for the KNCV - Van Arkel Prize for Physical and Inorganic Chemistry:
Dr. ing. G.J.M. Koper, chair
Dr. W.G. Haije
Prof. dr. A.P. Philipse
with reviewers:
(Em.) Prof. dr. M.C. Cohen Stuart
(Em.) Prof. dr. W.J. Briels
(Em.) Prof. dr. J. Schoonman
