Departments

September 29, 2026

Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar 

• 8th Anatolian School of Catalysis - ASC-8,Turky (Keynote), 
• 4th International Conference on Reaction Kinetics, Mechanisms and Catalysis & 3rd Forum of Young Researchers on Heterogeneous Catalysis - RKMC + YOURHETCAT 2026, Hungary (plenary).

Dr. Albin Pintar

• 29th International Conference on Semiconductor Photocatalysis and Solar Energy Conversion - SPASEC-29 and the 30th International Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies for Treatment of Water, Air, and Soil - AOTs-30, The Netherlands (plenary).

Dr. A. Pintar chaired the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Slovenian Chemical Society (SCS).

August 13, 2026

The Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology (D09) will organize the 14th European Conference on Solar Chemistry and Photocatalysis (SPEA 14), which will take place in Portorož from 12 to 16 June 2028. The SPEA conference is a well-established international meeting bringing together researchers in the fields of solar chemistry, photocatalysis, and related light-driven processes for environmental and energy applications. SPEA 14 will be held at the Grand Hotel Bernardin Congress Centre, and preparations for the conference are already well underway.

The scientific programme will cover the main areas of environmental photocatalysis and advanced oxidation processes, with a particular focus on novel photocatalytic materials, in situ and operando characterization techniques, the conversion of pollutants into energy and value-added products, and process intensification. The programme will include plenary and invited lectures, oral and poster presentations, a student competition, and an accompanying exhibition. In organizing the conference, Department D09 is collaborating with Cankarjev dom as the professional congress organizer.

July 10, 2026

Our PhD student, Nimisha Kuruvangattu Puthenveettil, received Third Prize for Best Poster Presentation at the 13th SPEA Conference, held in Kraków, Poland. The award is an important recognition of the quality of her research and the successful presentation of her results to the international scientific community.

Congratulations!

July 7, 2026

At the FEZA 2026 conference in Naples, the Italian organizers opened a bottle of wine they had received from the Slovenian organizers of FEZA 2023. The bottle was presented to them three years ago as a symbolic gesture marking the handover of the conference organization from Slovenia to Italy, and as a sign of friendship and connection within the European zeolite community. By opening it in Naples, the organizers symbolically toasted the successful realization of the 10th FEZA Conference, the continuation of scientific collaboration, and the shared stories that connect researchers beyond lecture halls and laboratories.

July 7, 2026

Prof. Nataša Zabukovec Logar attended the annual meeting of the Council of the International Zeolite Association (IZA), as an elected member of the Council. The meeting took place in Naples, Italy, in June.

July 6, 2026

Members of D09 actively participated in the 10th Conference of the Federation of European Zeolite Associations (FEZA 2026), which took place in Naples from 28 June to 2 July 2026. The conference was an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues, attend lectures by leading researchers in the fields of zeolites, MOFs and other porous materials, and present our recent work to an international audience.

June 16, 2026

Researchers from our department have published a study in the prestigious journal Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) on the role of structural defects in metal-organic frameworks for direct CO₂ capture. The study focuses on NICS-24, a material developed at the National Institute of Chemistry, in which a partial deficiency of metal centres improves CO₂ diffusion through the porous structure while weakening its interaction with adsorption sites. This design enables faster and more easily regenerable CO₂ capture, opening new possibilities for the development of advanced materials for air-quality improvement and carbon-capture technologies.

Congratulations!

May 29, 2026

The latest episode of the Slovenian science programme Ugriznimo znanost was dedicated to metal–organic frameworks, or MOFs. The development and investigation of these materials represent an important research focus at our department, and the programme provided an opportunity to present our work in one of the most prominent areas of materials science today. The exceptional importance of this field is also reflected in the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which was awarded for the development of MOFs.

The programme highlights the relevance and international impact of our research.

May 27, 2026

The MOFTherm consortium held its kick-off meeting on 27 May 2026 via Microsoft Teams. The meeting brought together the project partners to review the main project objectives, work-package structure, partner roles and the first steps in project implementation. The project aims to develop sustainable PCM@MOF@C composites for passive battery thermal management by combining bio-derived phase-change materials, non-toxic zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks and recycled or recyclable carbon materials.

6. maj, 2026

In the 50th episode of the Vzeto na znanje podcast, Prof. Nataša Novak Tušar presented catalysis and photocatalysis and explained how light and suitable catalysts can be used to break down harmful substances, contributing to cleaner water and air. The discussion also explored the conversion of carbon dioxide into useful chemicals and the role of such processes in the development of more sustainable technologies.

April 22, 2026

On the occasion of Earth Day, Prof. Nataša Zabukovec Logar and Prof. Nataša Novak Tušar, laboratory heads at our department, presented their contribution to the development of sustainable materials for a cleaner environment in an interview for Ona+. Their work ranges from the development of porous adsorbents for the capture of harmful gases and thermal energy management to the development of catalysts for efficient air and water purification. Both researchers are also actively involved in important European scientific associations, thereby contributing significantly to the international visibility of Slovenian chemical science. Through their teaching activities, they also pass on their valuable and outstanding research expertise to the next generations.

March 25, 2026

In 2026, the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology received several new research projects funded through national and international calls.

The following ARIS projects were selected:

• Photo-Thermal Ammonia Synthesis and Cracking for Hydrogen Storage and Release, Principal investigator: Dr. Petar Djinović;
• Structure-property-activity studies of metal-based catalysts for low-temperature catalytic oxidation of organic air pollutants. Principal investigator:  Dr. Ksenija Maver;
• HyDRaCool: Scalable Hybrid Desorption-Radiative Cooling Method for Water Harvesting and Hotspot Thermal Management. Principal investigator:  Dr. Primož Poredoš, responsible at D09: Dr. Alenka Ristić;
• Year-round Smart Thermal and Humidity Regulation Method for Buildings Based on High-efficient Sky Radiation Energy Utilization. Dr. Primož Poredoš, responsible at D09: Dr. Alenka Ristić;
• We were also successful in the ARIS ERC Perspective call, through which we obtained a complementary research project entitled Solid-state NMR study of CO₂/H₂O synergies in NICS-24 and isoreticular derivatives, led by Dr. Andraž Krajnc.

The project Metal-Organic Framework-enhanced Battery Thermal Management Composites (MOFTherm), coordinated by Prof. Dr Nataša Zabukovec Logar, was selected in the international ERA-NET call.

In addition, we also received the Janko Jamnik Project, awarded to Dr. Kristijan Lorber.

March 18, 2026

As part of the PaGES 10 project, students visited the SloNMR Centre at the National Institute of Chemistry, where they were introduced to the basic principles and applications of nuclear magnetic resonance. The event, organised by the NMR Centre, also actively involved colleagues from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, who contributed significantly to both the introductory and practical parts of the programme.

March 14, 2026

In the latest episode of the Člankarnica podcast, researchers Petar Djinović and Miha Okorn from the Laboratory for Catalysis present their research on photothermal catalysis. They explain how the combination of heat and visible light can accelerate the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, an important raw material for the production of fuels and chemicals. The discussion also reveals why the effect of light on catalytic reactions is complex and depends on the properties of the catalyst.

March 3, 2026

This year’s recipient of funding for the Janko Jamnik Fundamental Research Project for an Early-Career Researcher is our colleague Dr Kristijan Lorber.

Congratulations!

January 5, 2026

Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar

• Huawei Fu-ture Device Technology Summit, Finland,
• 1st Summer School TCM Friends Academy under EERA Energy Storage, Slovenia,.

Dr. Ciara Susan Byrne

• 6th International Conference on Materials Science & Nanotechnology, Tenerife, Spain. 

Dr. Matjaž Mazaj

• 31st Slovenian-Croatian Crystallographic Conference, Slovenia (plenary),
• Cutting Edge UL FKKT Ljubljana.

Prof. Nataša Novak Tušar 

• 12th meeting of  European Nanoporous Materials Institute of Excellence Young researchers - ENMIX YR (keynote),
• Network on porous semiconductors and oxides - NETPORE 2025, Tarragona, Spain. 

Dr. Albin Pintar 

• 28^th International Conference on Semiconductor Photocatalysis and Solar Energy Conversion - SPASEC-28 and the 29^th International Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies for Treatment of Water, Air, and Soil - AOTs-29 (plenary),
• European congress on catalysis - EuropaCat 2025, Trondheim, Norway (keynote), 
• 12th Czech-Austrian Workshop on Photo- and Electrocatalysis (keynote),
• University of Udine, Italy.

Dr. Alenka Ristić chaired 1st Summer School TCM Friends Academy as part of the EERA JP Energy Storage – Thermal Energy Storage subprogram.

Dr. A. Pintar chaired the 31st Annual Meeting of the Slovenian Chemical Society (SCS)

December 18, 2025

In the TV show Ugriznimo znanost, researchers from our department, together with scientists from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana, presented innovative materials with exceptional adsorption properties that enable the extraction of water directly from the air. The research opens up important opportunities for sustainable water supply in the future.

December 18, 2025

Klara Klemenčič, a member of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology and a member of the organizing committee of the Cutting Edge conference, received a Special Recognition from the University of Ljubljana together with the other members of the organizing committee. The recognition confirms the high quality of the conference organization and the dedication of everyone involved in its implementation.

Congratulations!

December 17, 2025

Dr. Matevž Roškarič has received the Henkel Maribor Fund Award for his doctoral dissertation entitled »Development of Advanced Graphitic Carbon Nitride-Based Catalysts for Environmental Applications«. The work was carried out under the supervision of Dr. Gregor Žerjav.

Congratulations!

December 12, 2025

Dr. Tomaž Kotnik has received the Pregl Award for an outstanding doctoral dissertation in the field of chemistry and related sciences, titled “Synthesis of π-Conjugated Porous Polymer Frameworks Using Soft Templates for the Purpose of Heterogeneous Photocatalysis in the Visible-Light Range.”
The work was carried out under the supervision of Assist. Prof. Dr. Sebastijan Kovačič and co-supervisor Prof. Dr. Janez Košmrlj.

Congratulations!

October 23, 2025

Aljaž Škrjanc received the award for his doctoral dissertation entitled: “Green synthesis of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks and their evaluation for CO₂ capture under humid conditions,” prepared under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar.

Congratulations!

October 8, 2025

The National Institute of Chemistry and the University of Nova Gorica have signed agreements to strengthen cooperation in research and education, with a particular focus on the Materials doctoral programme. Prof. Nataša Zabukovec Logar and Prof. Nataša Novak Tušar from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology play an important role in the long-standing collaboration between the two institutions.

October 7, 2025

Our PhD student Jan Marčec received the first prize for the best presentation at the first TCM Friends Academy Summer School, held from September 29 to October 1, 2025, at the National Institute of Chemistry under the auspices of the EERA Energy Storage network.

Congratulations!

October 1, 2025

The Janko Jamnik Doctoral Scholarship is intended for promising young researchers in the fields of chemistry and related sciences. It is partially funded by the Janko Jamnik Fund for Bright Young Minds in Science and other sources of the National Institute of Chemistry, and enables recipients to be employed at the Institute while carrying out their doctoral research in a selected department.

Ana Jere, the 2025 scholarship recipient, has chosen the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, Laboratory for Catalysts, where she will pursue her research.

We sincerely congratulate Ana and wish her success on her research journey!

September 19, 2025

Dr. Tia Kristian Tajnšek researches and develops new materials, mostly for use in medicine. You can find an interview about her research work at this link (in Slovene).

September 16, 2025

The National Institute of Chemistry and Huawei Technologies Oy Finland have signed a cooperation agreement on the research and development of advanced materials for future electronic devices.

The research will be carried out at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar and will focus on the development of novel porous materials up to the proof-of-concept stage. The collaboration builds on the Institute’s extensive expertise in materials science, particularly in materials for energy and environmental applications.

September 6, 2025

Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar was elected for the Vice-President of EFCATS (European Federation of Catalysis Societies) at the Federation’s General Assembly held during EuropaCat 2025 in Trondheim, Norway.

September 6, 2025

Dr. Albin Pintar delivered an invited keynote lecture at EuropaCat 2025 in Trondheim, Norway, entitled “Harnessing Light for a Cleaner Future: Advances in Heterogeneous Photocatalysis.”

July 25, 2025

Our colleague Mojca Opresnik is the author of microscopic images of tears, which serve as the central motif in two artworks – Cartographies of Grief and Gravity of Care. Both works are part of the broader art project The Gift Ecology by internationally recognised artist Jasmina Cibic.

The tears, presented as continents, waterways and islands, were captured with a scanning electron microscope and translated into visual artworks: printed on brass plates and even on a bronze globe. These images interweave science and art, emotions and personal narratives, inviting reflection on human dignity and collective empathy.

The project is currently on view at the Void Art Centre in Derry, Northern Ireland.

Published in Delo znanost

April 16, 2025

On 14 April 2025, the Slovenian Chemical Society (SKD) became a member of the International Association of Catalysis Societies (IACS), which brings together national and regional catalysis societies from around the world.

Slovenia is represented in IACS by two national delegates, Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar and Dr. Albin Pintar (Head of the Catalysis Section of the Slovenian Chemical Society), both researchers at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology at the National Institute of Chemistry. This membership provides the Slovenian catalysis community with greater opportunities for international engagement, strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange with researchers and experts in the field of catalysis worldwide.

March 27, 2025

A Postdoctoral Position is open in the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology at the National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia. The candidate will perform research in the field of structural studies of complex porous materials with an emphasis on powder X-ray and electron diffraction data collection and analysis.

More info

March 14, 2025

Researchers from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, in collaboration with Redox Technologies, organized and hosted the joint international conferences the 8th New Photocatalytic Materials for Environment, Energy and Sustainability (NPM-8) and the 9th Photocatalytic and Advanced Oxidation Technologies for the Treatment of Water, Air, Soil and Surfaces (PAOT-9). The event took place at the National Institute of Chemistry from 10 to 13 March 2025.

February 4, 2025

The summer school is organised by the National Institute of Chemistry Slovenia within the EERA JP Energy Storage – Thermal Energy Storage sub-programme. The aim of the symposium is to bring together Master students, PhD students and experts in the field of Thermochemical materials (TCMs) to discuss the latest advances in synthesis and characterisation as well as their application in thermal energy storage and transformation.

January 5, 2025

Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar

• XXIV Zeolite Forum Poland,
• 2nd PhD symposium Porous Materials Austria,
• International Zeolite Association School Germany.

Prof. Petar Djinović 

• 9th European Nanoporous Materials Institute of Excellence – ENMIX, Portugal. 

Dr. Albin Pintar 

• Pannonien International Symposium on Catalysis - PISC 2024 (keynote). 

Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar

• Nanotech 2024,
• 27^th International Conference on Semiconductor Photocatalysis and Solar Energy Conversion - SPASEC-27 and the 28^th International Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies for Treatment of Water, Air, and Soil - AOTs-28 (plenary),
• International Conference on the "Challenges in Environmental Science Engineering" - CESE 2024 (keynote).

Dr. A. Ristić chaired the 10th Slovenian-Serbian-Croatian Symposium.

Dr. A. Pintar chaired the 30th Annual Meeting of the Slovenian Chemical Society (SCS) and 4th International Conference on Fundamentals and Applications of Cerium Dioxide in Catalysis (Ceria 2024). 

December 11, 2024

Study investigates the mechanisms of sodium storage in hard carbon negative electrodes using advanced characterization techniques.

Article is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Dr. Gregor Mali.

September 20, 2024

The Slovenian Chemical Society, in cooperation with the partner of the tender, the company AquafilSLO, awarded prizes for the best academic works in the field of sustainable chemistry. The winner of the prize for the best doctoral thesis is Dr. Kristijan Lorber from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Chemical Technology, who defended his doctoral thesis entitled Thermal and combined photo-thermal dry reforming at the University of Nova Gorica. Congratulations!

September 4, 2024

Petar Djinović spoke for the ARS radio programme in the podcast "Podobe znanja" about the possibilities of using greenhouse gases as a raw material for the production of synthetic fuels (the interview is in Slovenian).

July 18, 2024

Albin Pintar and Nataša Novak Tušar, as representatives of Slovenia in the European catalytic association EFCATS https://efcats.org/ , together with the representative from Austria, Gunther Rupprtecht, at the meeting of the EFCATS committee in Lyon, presented their candidacy for organizing the largest conference in the field of catalysis in Europe called EuropaCat. The application has been confirmed. EuropaCat will be held in Ljubljana in 2027.

June 6, 2024

Asst. Prof. Petar Djinović, from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology at the National Institute of Chemistry, is this year's winner of the Pregl Award for Exceptional Achievements in the field of chemistry and related disciplines. He works in the field of heterogeneous catalysis and the chemistry of nanomaterials as well as in the field of chemical engineering.

Congratulations!

May 31, 2024

From May 23 - 25, 2024, the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, under the auspices of the Slovenian Zeolite Society, organized the 10th Slovenian-Serbian-Croatian Zeolite Symposium, which was attended by over 80 participants and exhibitors of laboratory equipment. Many distinguished researchers, young researchers and students presented the latest scientific achievements of natural and synthetic zeolites and related nanoporous materials for for environmental, energy, biomedical and microbiological applications.

February 2, 2024

Dr. Kristijan Lorber develops and researches catalysts for the conversion of methane and carbon dioxide. You can find an interview about his research work at this link (in Slovene).

January 5, 2024

Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar and Dr. Alenka Ristić 

• at the Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems. 

Dr. Andraž Krajnc

• 9th Conference of the Federation of European Zeolite Associations - FEZA 2023 (keynote). 

Dr. Albin Pintar, Dr. G. Gregor Žerjav and Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar (plenary)

• 8th New Photocatalytic Materials for Environment, Energy and

Sustainability - NPM-8« and »9th Photocatalytic and Advanced Oxidation Technologies for the Treatment of Water, Air, Soil and Surfaces - PAOT-9.

Dr. Alenka Ristić

• EIRES Lunch lecture at 6th EuChemS Inorganic Chemistry Conference (keynote). 

Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar

• 26^th International Conference on Semiconductor Photocatalysis and Solar Energy Conversion -SPASEC-26 and the 27^th International Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies for Treatment of Water, Air, and Soil -AOTs-27 (plenary),
• International Experts Summit on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials - IESMMM2023.

Dr. A. Pintar chaired the 29th Annual Meeting of the Slovenian Chemical Society (SCS) 

Prof. Dr. N. Zabukovec chaired the 9th Conference of the Federation of European Zeolite Associations - FEZA 2023.

January, 3 2024

On 1 January 2024, Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar began her term as President of the Federation of European Zeolite Associations (FEZA). Her candidacy was approved by the FEZA Board at the 9th FEZA Conference, held in Portorož, Slovenia. Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar will serve a three-year term, during which she will contribute to shaping FEZA’s activities and strengthening collaboration within the European research community working on zeolites and related porous materials.

December 14, 2023

This year, Tia Kristian Tajnšek, Tadej Žumbar and Kristijan Lorber successfully defended their doctoral theses, received the title Doctor of Philosophy and thus embarked on an independent research journey. They received their official certificates at yesterday's ceremony.

December 14, 2023

In 2023, we can be proud of publications in prestigious scientific journals with high impact factors and the acquisition of European and national projects.
We highlight just a few of the most important. A list of all published scientific publications and projects can be found under the tabs "Publications" and "Projects".

December 13, 2023

Dr. Kristijan Lorber received the Pregl Award for his outstanding doctoral work in the field of chemistry and related sciences entitled "Thermal and combined photo-thermal dry reforming of methane on nanoformed Ni/CeO2 catalysts". The supervisor of the thesis was Assoc. dr. Petar Djinović.

Congratulations!

November 14, 2023

Petar Djinović and Matej Gabrijelčič participated with an interesting experiment at this year's 29th Slovenian Science Festival, which was held under the motto Space-Earth-People.

August 28, 2023

Dear Gregor,

Some of us have known you for decades, others months. But there is one thing we all share: we are infinitely grateful to you. You showed your exceptionality in your simplicity, your greatness in your wit.

We are deeply saddened by your untimely passing, however, beautiful memories of our joint endeavors remain. You will be forever in our hearts.

Your colleagues from D09

July 6, 2023

Members of the department at the successfully held Federation of European Zeolite Associations FEZA 2023 conference in Portorož. See you in three years at FEZA 2026 in Naples.

May 23, 2023

On May 22, the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology hosted Dr. Thomas Douglas Bennett from the University of Cambridge, who inspired us with a talk entitled "Looking Beyond Crystallinity in Metal-Organic Frameworks."

March 2, 2023

Mojca Opresnik, an electron microscope operator and a colleague of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, demonstrated for Znanoteh in the Delo newspaper how looking for comparisons in organic and inorganic samples can lead to interesting similarities (in Slovene).

March 2, 2023

PhD students Lucie Havelková, Alena Hašková and David Šorm from Charles University in Prague successfully completed a three-week internship in the Laboratory for Catalysts under the supervision of Dr. Sebastijan Kovačič.

January 5, 2023

Dr. Albin Pintar 

• 11th European Conference on Solar Chemistry and Photocatalysis: Environmental Applications - SPEA11 (keynote), 
• 1st Forum of Young Researchers on Heterogeneous Catalysis - YOURHETCAT 2022 (plenary),
• 5th International Conference on the Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering - CESE 2022.

Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar

• 28th Annual Meeting of the Slovenian Chemical Society (keynote),
• 5th International Conference on the Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering - CESE 2022. 

Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar

• 14th Fundamentals of Adsorption,
• 7th International Day of Women & Girls in Science UN Assembly,
• University of Chemnitz.

Asisst. Prof. Dr. Petar Djinović

• University of Nova Gorica.

Dr. Albin Pintar chaired the 28th Annual Meeting of the Slovenian Chemical Society (SCS).

For the first time, the National Institute of Chemistry announced the recipient of the grant for Janko Jamnik's basic research project. The recipient of funding for 2022 is our colleague Dr. Andraž Krajnc.

At the Institute of Chemistry, we promote a culture of good mentoring, which is very important for training top researchers. Therefore, we are particularly proud that this year's Best Mentor Award was given to Dr. Petar Djinović, a colleague of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology.

December 14, 2022

Prof. Nataša Zabukovec Logar has published an article "Metal-Organic Porous Materials - Quo vadis?" in the journal Alternator, in which the latest findings from the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities are presented in a way that can be understood by anyone with basic scientific knowledge (in Slovene).

The title was awarded for co-organising the 15th international energy storage conference ENERSTOCK2021 "Towards smarter solutions", which was held in Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana from June 9 to 11, 2021, in collaboration with Assoc. prof. dr. Uroš Stritih from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana.

Last week, the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology hosted Prof. Wilhelm Schwieger from the Institute of Chemical Reaction Engineering at Friedrich-Alexander University.

Mojca Opresnik, a colleague of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, presented her work - the study of materials with a scanning electron microscope - featured in the prestigious popular science magazine National Geographic Magazine Slovenia. This time she focused on the comparison between the living and non-living world, looking for ordered structures, particle shapes and similarities between organic substances and materials developed in the laboratory (in Slovene).

As part of the "Science without Borders" series of events aimed at getting to know foreign researchers working at our institute, we travelled to Ireland this time. Our Irish colleague Dr. Ciara Susan Byrne informed us about the culture, tradition and gastronomy of Ireland as well as about her hometown Dublin and the Atlantic Technological University Sligo, where she comes from.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in person at the 9^th Conference of the Federation of the European Zeolite Associations to take place on 2 - 6 July 2023 at Portorož-Portorose, Slovenia. With the aim of establishing a strong programme, we would like to encourage you to submit your abstract by 30 November 2022, Monday and attend the conference in next July 2023.   To submit your abstract now, please click here 

FEZA 2023 Organizing Committee 
 

Tomaž Kotnik, a PhD student from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, was awarded for the best oral presentation of his scientific contribution at the 28th Annual Meeting of the Slovenian Chemical Society, which was held on 21-23 September 2022 in Portorož, Slovenia.

The head of the department, Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar, is this year's recipient of the Pregl Award for Exceptional Achievements in the field of chemistry and related disciplines.

Tomaž Kotnik, a PhD student from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, was awarded for the best presentation of his scientific contribution at the YOURHETCAT 2022 conference, which was held on 11-13 July 2022 in Szeged, Hungary.

Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar was elected to a three-year term as Secretary on the Executive Committee of the Council of the International Zeolite Association at the 27th International Zeolite Conference in Valencia in July 2022.

Next year we will host the European Conference FEZA 2023 (9th Conference of the Federation of the European Zeolite Associations). The event will be held from 2 to 6 July 2023 in Grand Hotel Bernardin Convention Center in Portorož-Portorose, Slovenia. The conference will be rounded as a five-day scientific event with plenary and keynote lectures, oral presentations, and poster contributions. The summer school will be organised as well. You are cordially invited to visit the event website: https://feza2023.org/en/

I perceive research work as a privilege

Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar, Head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology at the National Institute of Chemistry, spoke for the Delo media about her work as a researcher (in Slovene).

The NPM-6 (New Photocatalytic Materials for Environment, Energy and Sustainability)/PAOT-7 (Photocatalytic and Advanced Oxidation Technologies for Water, Air, Soil and Surfaces) conference was held this year in collaboration with the National Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology from University of Ljubljana and Redox Technologies Inc. from Canada on April 4-7, 2022 at the National Institute of Chemistry in Slovenia. Local organizing committee:  Prof. dr. Nataša Novak Tušar (chair), prof. dr. Urška Lavrenčič Štangar (co-chair), dr. Albin Pintar, Prof. dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar, Marjana Gantar Albreht, Suzana Mal, Dr. Andraž Šuligoj, Aljaž Škrjanc. Photographer: Mojca Opresnik (Photo galery)

Design and degradation of permanently porous vitamin C and zinc-based metal-organic framework

Metal-organic frameworks have demonstrated a great potential as drug delivery systems, but the biocompatibility of the MOF components, solvent and additives is often overlooked. A new bioMOF structure with permanent microporosity based on vitamin C zinc cations is designed and synthesised in a green solvent. Successful loading and release of a model drug urea from the pores and degradation mechanism of the framework in the aqueous media are demonstrated as well.

Prof. dr. Nataša Novak Tušar, Head of the Laboratory for Catalysts at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, obtained a new Slovenian Research Agency program P1-0418 entitled Chemistry of Catalysts for Clean Air. The program started in January 2022.

About the important achievement of Gregor Mali and Andraž Krajnc also in an interviews published on the SiolNET, tromba.si and delo.si

Stabilization of perovskites within the metal-organic glass

Researchers Andraž Krajnc and Gregor Mali of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology (D-09) participated in an interesting study of the composites of lead-halide perovskites and metal-organic glasses.

Lead halide perovskites can exhibit bright, narrow band photoluminescence but have stability issues in polar solvents, which trigger formation of inactive phases and loss of lead ions. The authors of the study showed that the black, photoactive phase of caesium lead iodide can be stabilized by forming a composite with a glassy phase of a metal-organic framework through liquid-phase sintering. The photoluminescence of the obtained composite was at least two orders of magnitude greater than that of the pure perovskite. The glass effectively stabilized the perovskite so that about 80% of the photoluminescence was maintained even after 10,000 hours of water immersion.

Andraž Krajnc and Gregor Mali employed 133Cs magic-angle spinning NMR measurements to confirm the phase purity of perovskites included within the composites, and suggested that there exists a close surface contact between the perovskite nanocrystallites and the surrounding metal-organic glass. The work was described in an article published in Science.

Link: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abf4460

Among the most visible achievements in 2021, which are proposed for approval to the Scientific Council of Slovenian Research Agency by members of the Scientific Research Councils of individual sciences, is also an article of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology: https://www.ki.si/en/news/catalyst-for-air-cleaning-with-synergistic-effect/

Alenka Ristić participated in the workshop "Pan-European Clean Energy Transition: ways to strengthen transnational cooperation" on  January 19, 2022, where she presented the research work on energy storage at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, the membership of EERA JP Energy Storage and the roles (RI provider and member of Selection Panel) in the Horizon2020 project StoRIES - Storage Reserch Infrastructure Ecosystem.

As part of the H2020 StoRIES project (Call H2020- LC-GD -2020), the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology and the Department of Materials Chemistry provide industrial and academic researchers from Europe with access to research infrastructure (for the study of energy storage materials) such as XRD diffractometers, sorption analyzers, TPR/TPO/ TPD chemisorption analyzer, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, and AR-STEM, respectively.

Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar, head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology, spoke about her work as a scientist in an interview for Radio Trieste A, in the show HEVREKA - Portraits of Female Scientists then and now (in Slovene). Broadcast was scheduled for January 17, 2022.

The Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology has become a member of SP3-Thermal energy storage (TES) at the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) Joint Program Energy Storage.

EERA JP ES Award at Enerstock 2021. More than 50 young researchers participated at the conference. The best Ph.D. student/post-doc contributions were evaluated by the Award committee and Dr. Salvatore Vasta, the coordinator of the JP ES SP3.

The 15^th Virtual International Conference on Energy Storage ENERSTOCK2021 with the theme "Towards Smart Solutions" was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 9 to 11 June 2021, hosted by the National Institute of Chemistry Slovenia and the University of Ljubljana - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The conference was attended by about 250 researchers and experts from 28 countries from all over the world. At the conference, an impressive number of distinguished experts presented the latest scientific and technological achievements as well as future trends and prospects related to materials, applications and systems for thermal and electrical energy storage, power-to-gas or heat applications, climate change and other related disciplines.

In addition to two plenary lectures (dr. Andreas Hauer, ZAE Bayern, Germany and prof. dr. Henrik Lund, Aalborg University, Denmark) and five keynote lectures (dr. Wim van Helden, AEE INTEC, Austria; prof. dr. Claudio Gerbaldi, DISAT, Politecnico di Torino, Italy; dr. Emiliano Borri, University of Lleida, Spain; prof. dr. Halime Paksoy, Çukurova University, Turkey and dr. Petar Djinović, National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia), participants had the opportunity to present their work in oral presentations and short oral poster presentations.
The contributions showed that the development of materials for thermal energy storage remains an important and urgent research area for further development of TES technologies.

Dry methane reforming in conventional and micro-channel reactor systems

Syngas is a platform mixture of hydrogen (H₂) and carbon monoxide (CO). By producing an appropriate ratio of H₂/CO, syngas can be directly utilized in the fine chemical industry. With a promising recycle of carbon as well as mitigation of greenhouse gases, further limitation of global warming can be efficiently achieved by implementing three important strategies: (i) effective carbon capture and storage (CCS), (ii) development of efficient renewable energy, and (iii) enhanced end-use energy products. CO₂ conversion represents an advanced step towards the production of high value-added products.

The combined effort of researchers from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and Technology (D09) and Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, was performed regarding the development of a micro-channel reactor system to study low-temperature dry reforming of methane.

The article can be found under the following link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.127498.