Research Topics

We are an inorganic chemistry group at the Institute of Nanotechnology Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. We aim to synthesize molecular building blocks which can be processed into nanoscale devices or else already show useful properties at the nanoscale level. In order to characterise these building blocks we gain precise structural information at atomic resolution using X-ray diffraction as well as measuring a range of physical properties such as magnetism and electron transport. The systems under study include ligand-stabilised metal cluster compounds; metal-organic frameworks (MOFs); the use of crystal engineering to tailor properties and build multifunctional materials.

Outlook

The compounds we synthesise will be further processed to build into devices. Thermal processing allows access to materials with a range of possible applications, such as anode materials for batteries or else stoichiometrically precise oxide nanoparticles. The deposition of nanoclusters as films or ordered arrays allows for the addressing of systems.

Collaborators

The Powell group has a wide range of collaborations both nationally and internationally from research areas of the inorganic chemistry and physical sciences. Click below to expand.

• Prof. Wolfgang Wernsdorfer

• Prof. Prof. Rüdiger Klingeler

• Prof. Ulrich Kortz  

• Prof. Peter W Roesky

• Prof. Gisela Guthausen (MVM)

• Dr. Michael Hirtz (INT)

• Prof. Pedro de Oliveira 

• Prof. Sally Brooker

• Prof. Jürgen Schnack

• Prof. Muralee Murugesu

• Prof. Oliver Waldmann