Daan Groefsema

PhD candidate
Utrecht University

Department

Department of Chemistry

Contact information

Room
Vening Meinesz building C – Room 2.08

Email address
d.w.groefsema@uu.nl

Key expertises

Heterogeneous catalysis, oxidative coupling of methane, luminescence thermometry, operando spectroscopy

About me

I was born in a small village in Noord-Holland (The Netherlands) and studied at Utrecht University, where I obtained my BSc and MSc in chemistry. During this time, I have worked mainly on colloidal synthesis, temperature-dependent luminescence, and spectroscopy. In 2019, I joined ARC CBBC as a PhD candidate in the group of prof. Bert Weckhuysen.

About my research

I mainly work on the application of luminescence thermometry for operando monitoring of oxidative coupling of methane. This is a potential approach for direct conversion of waste methane into ethylene, a widely used chemical building block. During this reaction, a lot of heat is generated, which can cause various problems. By introducing a small amount of luminescent material into the catalyst, I can use light to determine the temperature at the surface of the catalyst during reaction, to get more insight in the interplay between local temperature effects and the performance of the catalyst.

Academic career

PhD candidate
2019 – present: PhD candidate in the group of Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, under supervision of prof. B.M. Weckhuysen and dr. Freddy Rabouw.

MSc
2015 – 2019: Master’s degree Nanomaterials Science in the group of Condensed Matter and Interfaces at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, under supervision of prof. A. Meijerink. Thesis: Ln³⁺ doped rare earth phosphate nanocrystals for luminescence nanothermometry.

Internship
2017: Research internship at Lumileds Netherlands B.V. under supervision of dr. ir. M. Böhmer. Report: Quantum dots for on chip applications.

BSc
2009 – 2015: Bachelor’s degree Chemistry in the group of Physical an Colloid Chemistry at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, under supervision of prof. A.P. Philipse. Thesis: Synthesis of silica coated butterfly-shaped haematite colloidal particles.