DACG Spring Symposium

We look back on another engaging and successful Spring Symposium, held at Symeres in Weert.

The morning session began with Edwin Aret, who provided an overview of Symeres and its solid-state department. This was followed by Chantalle van Berkel, also from Symeres, who shared the company’s approach to solid form selection, using high-throughput X-ray powder diffraction; this was illustrated with a few case studies. Although our third scheduled speaker was unfortunately unable to attend at the last minute, we were pleased that Job Gieling (UCLouvain) could step in and present his research on mechanochemistry and deracemization. Mechanochemistry does not require the use of solvents, sometimes only a small amount which acts as a lubricating agent. A few case studies were presented using resonant acoustic mixing (RAM) to successfully deracemize three different imines; the results were compared with traditional ball milling. The morning concluded with a presentation by Prof. Elias Vlieg of Radboud University Nijmegen who proposed a mechanism for crystallization pressure in which the growth of unloaded faces adjacent to the confined surface plays a critical role. These findings advance the understanding of crystallization pressure in confined spaces and contribute to the explanation and mitigation of salt-induced damage in porous materials.

After lunch, the program resumed with Danny Stam (Eldico), who highlighted the advantages of electron diffraction in pharmaceutical development projects. Yvonne Mos (Haskoning) followed with a presentation on Crystalactors and their use in recovering compounds from water through crystallization. The final talk of the day was delivered by Denny Lamon (Eindhoven University of Technology), who presented his work on hexagonal SiGe branches, which is interesting for CMOS compatible laser applications, chem/bio sensors and LEDs, due to the fact that hex-SiGe shows a direct band gap (whereas Si and Ge each have an indirect band gap).

The event concluded with a lab tour of Symeres in Weert, followed by drinks and informal networking.

We extend our sincere thanks to Sander Brugman from Symeres and his colleagues for hosting, to all speakers for their valuable contributions, and to the attendees for making this yet another memorable event.