Chemistry student Leen van der Ham wins 2006 Shell Bachelor Prize
16 February 2007 by TNWToday | M&CPress release – The 2006 Shell Bachelor Prize has been won by Leen van der Ham of TU Delft. Van der Ham received the prize (2,500 euros) during the finals on February 13, for his Bachelor’s thesis on the possibilities of converting hydrogen to electricity. Elke Rabé (TU Eindhoven) won the Shell Master Prize (5,000 euros) for her dissertation on using the jatropha plant as biofuel. Shell Nederland and the technical universities of Delft, Eindhoven and Twente award the prize annually to motivate young talent to focus on sustainable development.
In his research Van der Ham (NanoStructured Materials) tested material which could be used as a membrane in fuel cells. The fuel cell, with which hydrogen could be converted to electrical energy, is not yet utilised on any considerable scale. One reason is that the material currently used for the membrane – Nafion – is very expensive. An alternative material is sulphurous polyaramide. This conducts well, but has poor mechanical properties. Adding a second polymer could improve it. Van der Ham tested the material for the degree to which it conducts electrical current and its mechanical properties, and reached the conclusion that it is eminently suitable for use in fuel cells. Van der Ham won the Bachelor Prize, because the jury judged his thesis to have the greatest potential in its category.
Shell Bachelor Master Prize
The Shell Bachelor Master Prize is made up of two prizes: one for the best Master’s dissertation and another for the best Bachelor’s dissertation. The winners were chosen by a jury comprising Rein Willems, Board Chairman of Shell Nederland, Hans van Luijk, Chairman of the TU Delft Executive Board, Anne Flierman, Chairman of the University of Twente Executive Board and Hans van Duijn, Rector Magnificus of TU Eindhoven.
Note for editors:
For further information please see www.shellbachelormasterprijs.nl.
Researchgroup NanoStructured Materials (NSM): www.dct.tudelft.nl/nsm
