Innovate and React

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In this episode of Innovate and React, host I sit down with Jonas Massa, co-founder of AKROS Energy, to tackle the pressing challenges of hydrogen storage and transportation. While green hydrogen is a promising energy carrier for fluctuating renewables, its highly flammable nature poses significant safety and regulatory hurdles, especially for decentralized applications involving non-specialist personnel. Jonas breaks down why conventional storage methods, like highly pressurized vessels or toxic ammonia, fall short for widespread, small-scale use.
To solve this, AKROS Energy is developing a revolutionary method that stores hydrogen in everyday, non-toxic salts, namely potassium bicarbonate and potassium formate. Jonas explains their streamlined, low-temperature catalytic process and they want to scale it up. A great alternative to Ammonia and LOHC.

Got interested in this technology? Here is more:

Also find out more about AKROS energy on their website: https://akros-energy.com

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In this episode of Innovate and React, i am talking with Dr. Petra Ryl, innovation and talent lead at greenCHEM Berlin. We explore how innovation is transforming the chemical industry and how research from universities can be applied practically. Petra shares her journey from academic biochemical research to working at greenCHEM, explaining the importance of sustainable materials and the transition from fossil-based to regenerative resources. They discuss the role of disruptive innovation, the advantages of startups in driving change, and how greenCHEM supports entrepreneurs through various programs, including technology transfer, academic partnerships, and a robust network. Highlights include specific examples of pioneering startups within the greenCHEM network and advice for researchers considering entrepreneurial pathways.

A recommend read for this episode are the 12 principles of green chemisty, which lay the foundation of green innovation in chemistry.

Find out more about greenCHEM and the innovate! call on their website greenchem.berlin. If you are interested in bringing your reasearch to the market get in touch.

Here you can find more about the mentioned star up:

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This episode of Innovate and React explores the fascinating history of natural product research and its pivotal role in developing life-saving cancer treatments. The journey begins in the 1950s and 60s with the National Cancer Institute’s efforts to screen thousands of plant extracts for biological activity. Through the stories of landmark compounds like camptothecin and Taxol, Kevin illustrates the complex collaboration required between botanists and chemists to isolate active ingredients from nature and transform them into viable medical therapies.
The episode delves into the origins of Taxol, originally discovered in the bark of the Pacific Yew tree. You will learn about the significant hurdles researchers faced. From the tedious workup to supply chain restrictions caused by harvesting bark from slow-growing trees. Find out how chemists made Taxol a marketable drug and overcame these problems.

Molecular Structure of Taxol: https://innovateandreact.com/taxol/

Source:
“The Discovery of Camptothecin and Taxol” commemorative booklet produced by the National Historic Chemical Landmarks program of the American Chemical Society in 2003; https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/camptothecintaxol/discovery-of-camptothecin-and-taxol-commemorative-booklet.pdf

More about the natural products:
Dias DA, Urban S, Roessner U. A historical overview of natural products in drug discovery. Metabolites. 2012 Apr 16;2(2):303-36. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo2020303

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In this episode we discuss a novel and sustainable approach to converting methane into valuable chemicals. Currently light hydrocarbons like methane are often simply burned for energy, despite their potential as a carbon source for the chemical industry. Traditional conversion methods like natural gas cracking are energy-intensive, and other functionalization routes require harsh conditions and often toxic chemicals. Dr. Andrés Constantino sharess his research focusing on photocatalysis to achieve the direct functionalization of methane under milder conditions.
The key to this method is a supramolecular catalytic system using FeCl3•6H2O and collidine. When irradiated, the catalyst generates a highly active chlorine radical that efficiently abstracts hydrogen from the inert alkane (methane) to form an alkyl radical. The collidine plays a crucial dual role, acting as a base to quench the resulting HCl and as a ligand that stabilizes the iron tetrachloride core. The radicals were used for allylation chemistry, which retains a useful olefin group in the product.

Link to the publication: Andrés M. Álvarez-Constantino et al., Attenuated LMCT photocatalysis enables C─H allylation of methane and other gaseous alkanes.Sci. Adv.11, eaea0783(2025). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aea0783

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In this episode we discuss sustainable chemistry and the replacement of critical materials like platinum group elements with guest Dr. Soumyadeep Chakrabortty from the Max-Planck-Institute for Kohlenforschung. We delve into the importance of sustainability in chemical reactions, the role of catalysis, and the development of more benign and cost-effective catalysts. Soumyadeep shares his experiences with asymmetric hydrogenation and the creation of a new ligands for pharmaceutical applications. The conversation also touches on collaboration between academia and industry and the impact of high-throughput screening and AI on future catalysis research.

00:48 The Importance of Sustainable Chemistry

04:02 Catalysis and Its Role in Chemistry

05:59 Asymmetric Hydrogenation Explained

15:45 Challenges in Replacing Precious Metals

20:31 Academia vs. Industry in Chemical Research

27:54 Future of Catalysis Research

Further reading on the topic:

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In this episode of Innovate and React, I delve into the groundbreaking discovery of the Haber-Bosch process, which revolutionized agriculture and the chemical industry by synthesizing ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen. Starting with a historical perspective from the 19th, the episode explores the pivotal contributions of Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch to the invention of the Haber-Bosch process. It covers the scientific challenges, innovations, and controversies surrounding Haber’s research, and how Bosch made the reaction viable for industrial scale. The episode also discusses the modern impact and future applications of ammonia in renewable energy systems.

Key topics:

00:10 The Nitrogen Crisis of the 19th Century

02:09 Fritz Haber’s Breakthrough

05:59 Scaling Up: Carl Bosch’s Contributions

09:00 The Impact and Controversy of the Haber-Bosch Process

11:47 Ammonia’s Role in Future Energy Systems

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In this episode of Innovate and React, we dive into the world of water electrolysis and how theoretical chemistry can help design better catalysts for clean hydrogen production. Mohammad Usama, a PhD researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen, shares his unconventional journey from mechatronics and automotive engineering to electrochemistry and catalysis.
We discuss his work on iridium dioxide surfaces for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER)—the bottleneck in water electrolysis—and the discovery of a novel Walden-type pathway. This finding helps us to better understand the reaction mechanism and could lead to the discovery of enhanced catalysts. We also touch on how AI and data-driven approaches are transforming catalyst discovery, from nitrogen oxidation research to the future of digital twins and automated labs.

Key Topics:

04:45 Why Hydrogen is the “Glue” of the Future Energy System
07:15 Current Challenges in Electrolysis and Catalyst Costs
10:36 Theoretical Chemistry: From DFT to Machine Learning
16:12 Iridium Dioxide and the Oxygen Evolution Reaction
22:13 The Walden-Type Pathway in Catalysis
28:26 Data-Driven Approaches for Nitrogen Oxidation Reaction
33:29 AI, Automated Labs, and the Future of Catalyst Discovery

Further reading on the topic:

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In this episode of Innovate and React, we discuss how catalysis can be utilized for water treatment and reducing pollution from shipping. Janek Betting, a PhD researcher from the University of Twente, shares his current research on nitrate and nitrite reduction in wastewater using heterogeneous bimetallic catalysts. We delve into the sources of these pollutants, primarily from agriculture, industrial processes as well as shipping, and explore an innovative project aimed at reducing emissions from cargo ships by using LNG and advanced catalytic processes for emission control. Janek explains the challenges and advancements in designing catalytic reactors and the discovery of hydroxyl amine as an so far overlooked intermediate in this reaction. The conversation also covers the potential applications of this research and the broader impact on both industrial and environmental scales.

Key Topics:

03:44 Catalysis in Shipping: The LNG Zero Project

07:34 Challenges in NOx Removal and Scrubbing

12:17 Optimizing Bimetallic Catalysts

20:53 Experimental Setup and Challenges

26:10 Hydroxyl Amine: The Unexpected Intermediate

37:18 Implications for Drinking Water and Exhaust Gas Catalysis

Further informations:

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In this episode of Innovate and React  Anne Mayer, a PhD researcher at
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, explains how solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy works and how she uses this analytical method for protein studies. We dive into the fascinating world of NMR—from the basics of nuclear spins and magnetic fields to the complex hardware challenges of solid-state NMR. Anne shares how she investigates membrane proteins and microbial rhodopsins, revealing how solid-state NMR provides insights into protein dynamics and optogenetics. We also discuss the importance of fundamental research, future developments in solid-state NMR, and the interdisciplinary collaboration behind cutting-edge chemical research.

Key Topics (with timestamps):

Further reading to dig deeper into NRM:

If you speak German, then check out Annes Podcast “Darf’s ein bisschen Chemie sein?” to learn about a broad variety of chemistry related topics.

For more about proteins in this podcast checkout Mitochondrial Biogenesis – How mitochondria get their spare parts.

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Summary:

In this episode of Innovate and React, Dr. Leonardo Santoni, a postdoctoral researcher at UCL and a science content creator, shares his insights into the fascinating world of metal-organic precursors for low-temperature metal deposition. He presents his PhD research on aluminum complexes for printed electronics, highlighting the challenges of precursor design, deposition techniques, and the potential of sustainable and user-friendly alternatives to pyrophoric materials. In the second part Leonardo gives his opinion on science communication how short form videos can make chemistry accessible for a broader audience.

03:00 From Membranes to Metals: Leonardo’s Research Journey
Leonardo introduces his academic background, from filtration membranes to metal-organic complex synthesis for metal deposition in electronics.

07:00 Printed Electronics and Sustainable Conductive Layers
A look into how aluminum can be used as a cheaper, recyclable alternative to silver and copper in printed electronics, and why low-temperature deposition is key.

12:00 Designing the Ideal Precursor
The importance of ligand design, aluminum-ligand bonding, and balancing stability vs. reactivity for efficient deposition on heat-sensitive substrates like plastics.

28:00 Industry Applications and the Path Ahead
How this research can lead to safer, scalable solutions for the electronics industry—and the group’s recent breakthrough with a non-pyrophoric aluminum precursor.

31:00 Communicating Chemistry on Social Media
Leonardo shares his journey as a science communicator on TikTok and Instagram, and why he believes pure chemistry deserves more attention online.

38:00 Better Science Storytelling
Tips for effective science communication at conferences and online, from simple slide design to authentic video storytelling.

🔗 Resources & Further Reading:

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