Roeffaers Lab

The research focus of the group lies on the development of novel microscopy modalities that enable in situ characterization of advanced materials. Research efforts are mainly centered around optical microscopy with the development of various fluorescence and Raman based imaging approaches as well as the combination of optical microscopy and electron microscopy. Being part of the Centre for Membrane separations, Adsorption, Catalysis and Spectroscopy (cMACS; part of the former Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis) a significant part of the research is centered around studying working catalysts and to use the gained insights in the development of better catalysts. Besides fundamental understanding of traditional ‘thermal’ catalysts and photo- and electrocatalysts. Within the PHOTOactive MATerials (PHOTOMAT) consortium, in close collaboration with Prof. Johan Hofkens from the Chemistry department, an integrated synthesis and in-depth characterization effort towards novel photo-active materials has been ongoing for about a decade. Besides the development of a novel phosphor material based on clusters embedded in zeolites, recent research efforts have largely been focused on metal halide perovskites as material for opto-electronic devices. The group is housed at the interface of the Chem & Tech and NanoCentre research facilities of the KU Leuven.