ERC Consolidator Grant for Prof. Kraus - 03.12.2024

Professor Dominik Kraus, a scientist at the Institute of Physics at the University of Rostock and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), has been awarded one of the prestigious Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council (ERC).The two million euro grant recognizes excellent research approaches and supports top researchers in further developing their projects at the highest level.
The “Dynamic Megabar Chemistry” project aims to investigate chemical processes under extreme pressure and temperature conditions that do not occur naturally on Earth. These conditions - pressures millions of times higher than atmospheric pressure and temperatures of several thousand degrees Celsius - can fundamentally change the electronic and chemical properties of materials and thus open up a multitude of new possibilities.
Innovative approaches for future-oriented materials
One focus of Kraus' planned work is the synthesis of new material structures, including the BC-8 structure of carbon. This material, which has so far only been described theoretically, could be as hard as diamond but less brittle. In order to create the extreme conditions for the production of this “super material”, Dominik Kraus will use high-energy lasers that generate pressures of more than 10 million bar for a fraction of a second - that is three times as much as in the center of the earth. Once generated, the novel carbon structure could remain stable even under ambient pressure. Even a single tiny crystal of the new material could be used as a starting material for the mass production of larger crystals.
Kraus has already received approval for initial experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the USA, the world's largest laser facility. Access to this facility is also highly competitive: only applications with excellent research ideas are accepted. This additional success complements the ERC funding and strengthens global cooperation in this field of research.
Another focus of the project is the production of nanoparticles under extreme conditions. These could be used in many areas, for example in the reduction of greenhouse gases, in electronics, in sensor technology and in medicine, for example as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging or as a drug carrier. To this end, experiments will be carried out at the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields, which the HZDR operates at the European XFEL in Schenefeld, and in Kraus' own laser laboratories at the University of Rostock.
Development of a research infrastructure in Rostock
The ERC funding underlines the international appeal of the University of Rostock and the HZDR. Both institutions are currently working together to establish the new High Energy Density Institute (HEDI) in Rostock, which will play a central role in researching extreme physical and chemical conditions in the future. “The next few years will be extremely exciting,” emphasizes Dominik Kraus. “A completely new field of research is emerging here, and we are actively helping to shape it. Some of the hoped-for findings could change the world.”