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Introduction

The Benelux EPR Society came to existence when researchers from Flanders in 1993 joined the Dutch EPR Discussion Group in Nijmegen. The year after, a meeting was organized at Ghent University. Since then, yearly one-day meetings have been organized, alternatingly in Belgium and in The Netherlands. The meeting is open to all researchers from or with close relations to the Benelux (Belgium – The Netherlands – Luxembourg) applying and/or developing EPR spectroscopy in their research. At present, groups at 8 universities in Belgium and The Netherlands are active in this society, which also has good connections with the European Federation of EPR Groups (EFEPR) and the International EPR Society (IES).

EPR or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance refers to the resonance absorption of microwaves by molecules or defects/impurities in materials with unpaired electrons (further referred to as paramagnetic centers) in the presence of an external magnetic field. It allows to quantify such paramagnetic centers and provides fine details of their molecular geometric and electronic structure.

The main aim of the Benelux EPR Society is to exchange scientific knowledge and expertise and to promote collaboration between EPR research groups and groups occasionally using EPR in their research in the Benelux. This is accomplished by one-day meetings organized each year. This website also aims to serve academic or other research groups and industry with research questions that might be solved with EPR spectroscopy. For this we refer to the specific websites of the groups active in the Benelux EPR Society.

Would you like to be informed about upcoming meetings or would like to be mentioned as EPR lab in the Benelux, please leave your contact details, and we will take contact with you.

Yearly Benelux EPR Society Meetings

Next meeting

For the 2025 meeting, we go to Antwerpen. Further news will be announced on this page and via our mailing list.

News...

In the 2023 meeting in Leiden a sew type of session was launched. Participants were given the opportunity to ask a question regarding EPR spectroscopy they are struggling with at this moment to the audience. The meeting gathers scientists with diverse backgrounds, complementary expertise and vast experience in EPR spectrometer development, spectrum acquisition, simulation and modeling, and in theoretical interpretation. Problems encountered by one may already have been solved by another, even if the solution was not (or for some reason could not be) published.

In the first session of this type two questions were raised: the first concerning simulation of broad EPR spectra for large effective spin sytems, the second about calibration standards for quantifying spin numbers or concentrations for solid state systems.

A brief report of this first session can be found here. This document should be considered as dynamic: it will be amended based on your reactions. Please send your reactions to the chairman an secretary of the Society.

We hope to make this session recurrent in the coming Benelux EPR meetings, and already challenge you to think about questions for the 2024 meeting. The aim would be to already announce the question(s) in the meeting programme (like titles of oral and poster presentations), so that participants can think about them in advance.

Any question, suggestion or remark you may have regarding this session format is welcome: please send it by e-mail to Henk Vrielinck and Martina Huber.

Past meetings

Involved EPR research groups

In Belgium

University of Antwerp

Nanostructured and Organic Optical and Electronic Materials (NANOrOPT)
Contact: Sofie Cambré

Biophysics and Biomedical Physics (BIMEF)
Contact: Sabine Van Doorslaer

Ghent University

Defects in Semiconductors group (DiSC)
Contact: Henk Vrielinck

Catholic University of Leuven

Laboratory for Semiconductor Physics (https://fys.kuleuven.be/hf/research-groups/esr)
Contact: André Stesmans

University of Liège

Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)

Center for Oxygen, Research and Development (CORD)

Catholic University of Louvain – Brussels

Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Research Group (REMA)
Nuclear and Electron Spin Technologies platform (NEST)
Contact: Bernard Gallez

In The Netherlands

Technical University of Delft

Department of Biotechnology – Section Biocatalysis
Peter-Leon Hagedoorn: website
Fred Hagen: website

Leiden University

LION – Biological & Soft Matter – Martina Huber Lab
Contact: Martina Huber

Maastricht University

Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences – Toxicogenomics
Contact: Jacco Briedé J.J. website

Contact us

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