LAC news

ETH researchers led by Máté Bezdek have developed a low-cost sensor made of carbon nanotubes that can selectively, efficiently and reliably measure minute quantities of oxygen in gas mixtures under light. The detector could be widely used in industry, medicine and environmental monitoring. 

The Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) is a network of key figures from science and industry who supports and links the technical sciences regionally, nationally and internationally. In 2025, 19 new Full Members were elected, among them Maksym Kovalenko and Detlef Günther, both from the Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry at the D-CHAB.

Whether for cling film or hydrogen production, in chemistry, everything strives for efficient, inexpensive catalysts. Surprisingly, little is known about how they work on a molecular level. Prof. Murielle Delley from the University of Basel aims to change this and is developing methods to promote the production of more efficient, sustainable catalysts. She has now been awarded the 2024 Ruzicka Prize for her work on the controlled surface modification of cobalt phosphide with sulfur. A portrait.

This year's annual ranking of the world's most cited researchers by Clarivate lists 6,886 researchers who have strongly influenced their own or several research areas through their publication activities. The list contains the most cited publications of the last ten years. Javier Pérez-Ramírez, Maksym Kovalenko and Gisbert Schneider (D-BSSE, D-CHAB) are among the 22 highly cited researchers at ETH Zurich. 

The prize for the most promising invention of the past year goes to Marie Amélie Perrin and Victor Mougel. They have developed a method that enables rare earth elements to be efficiently recovered from electrical waste.