Two catalytic scientists awarded the DECHEMA Prize 2014: Karl Mayrhofer and Frank Hollmann

The DECHEMA Prize 2014 of the Max Buchner Research Foundation is being jointly awarded to two prominent catalytic scientists: Dr. Karl Mayrhofer, Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung (MPI for Iron Research), Düsseldorf, receives the Prize for his seminal work on the analysis and development of corrosion-resistant electrocatalysts for energy conversion systems, Dr. Frank Hollmann, Delft University of Technology, for his outstanding research on the development of green, light- and electricity-driven enzymatic redox processes in organic synthesis. The DECHEMA Prize of the Max Buchner Research Foundation, which comes with total prize money of 20,000 euros, will be presented during a special colloquium on 28 November in Frankfurt am Main.

For the first time in 22 years, once again two outstanding young scientists will share the prize. Both work in the field of catalysis: Mayrhofer is involved with metallic catalysts for electron transfer, for instance in hydrogen generation or in fuel cells, while Hollmann applies enyzmes as biotechnological electron carriers. What both scientists have in common is their involvement, from the fundamentals through to industrial application, in processes that are essential for future technologies in terms of the energy supply and sustainable production.