Peter W. Roesky

Quanteninformationstechnologien sind Innovationen in der modernen Datenspeicherung und -verarbeitung, die auf Quanteneffekten basieren. Materialien, die sich für solche Anwendungen eignen, müssen unter anderem bestimmte magnetische Eigenschaften aufweisen. Forschende am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) haben nun gemeinsam mit Partnern im Fachjournal Nature Communications neue chemische Verbindungen vorgestellt, die diese Voraussetzungen erfüllen.

Daryoush Djavadi

In a networked society, secure communication is essential. Quantum physics delivers the necessary foundation by allowing practicable technologies such as quantum key distribution. With the new fiber optic test facility at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), which opened on January 22, 2025, researchers aim to transmit, test and refine quantum keys. They also plan to set up a quantum network to link quantum computers.

KIT

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have synthesized a Bi5--ring, a molecule with five bismuth atoms, and stabilized it in a metal complex. Their discovery fills a gap in chemical knowledge and enables future applications in materials research, catalysis, and electronics.

S. Lehchanska/nature

An international team of researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has developed a new method for analyzing actinides. The method provides unique insights into the electronic structures and bonding properties of these heavy, radioactive elements in the bottom row of the periodic table. It could help in the development of improved radiotherapeutic products and contribute to a deeper understanding of the behaviour of actinide compounds in the environment and in nuclear waste disposal.

Foto: Markus Breig, KIT / Grafik: Felix Laufer, KIT

Perowskit-Solarzellen zeigen im Labor hohe Wirkungsgrade bei der Umwandlung von Sonnenenergie in elektrische Energie. In Kombination mit Silizium-Solarzellen können sie zur künftigen Generation der Photovoltaik werden. Forschende des KIT zeigen nun: Maschinelles Lernen (ML) ist ein entscheidendes Instrument, um die erforderliche Messtechnik für die kommerzielle Fertigung von Perowskit-Solarzellen zu verbessern.

KIT

Scientists from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) have developed a surface material that repels water droplets almost completely. Using an entirely innovative process, they changed metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) – artificially designed materials with novel properties – by grafting hydrocarbon chains. The resulting superhydrophobic (extremely water-repellent) properties are interesting for use as self-cleaning surfaces that need to be robust against environmental influences, such as on automobiles or in architecture.

Kurt Fuchs/HI ERN

Perovskite solar cells are a flexible and sustainable alternative to conventional silicon-based solar cells. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are part of an international team that was able to find – within only a few weeks – new organic molecules that increase the efficiency of perovskite solar cells. The team used a clever combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated high-throughput synthesis. Their strategy can also be applied to other areas of materials research, such as the search for new battery materials.

Universität Ulm, Karolina Schüle

For the past ten years, the Centre for Quantum Science and Technology (IQST) at the Universities of Stuttgart and Ulm and the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (MPI-FKF) has been at the forefront of interdisciplinary research in quantum science and technology. Its mission extends beyond basic research to focus on potential applications and their benefits for society. With the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), a further supra-regional institution has now joined the world-renowned centre, marking a significant step towards a state-wide network for the scientific "quantum community" in Baden-Württemberg.

Queensland University of Technology

With his research, Professor Christopher Barner-Kowollik makes it possible to develop high-precision materials and surfaces for special applications in nanotechnology and materials science. Now the macromolecular chemistry expert has been selected for an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship. Next year he is expected to conduct research on new materials and polymer-based systems at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

PHABIOC

PHABIOC, a Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) spin-off, can replace up to four conventional sample holders with its SpecPlate, an innovative design that improves the efficiency, speed and precision of lab work while drastically reducing the amount of consumables. Mass production is now beginning.

Xuchen Wang, KIT and Harbin Engineering University

Photonic space-time crystals are materials that could increase the performance and efficiency of wireless communication or laser technologies. They feature a periodic arrangement of special materials in three dimensions as well as in time, which enables precise control of the properties of light. Working with partners from Aalto University, the University of Eastern Finland and Harbin Engineering University in China, scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have shown how such four-dimensional materials can be used in practical applications.

IAMT, KIT

Steroid hormones are among the most widespread aquatic micropollutants. They are harmful to human health, and they cause ecological imbalances in aquatic environments. At the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), researchers have investigated how steroid hormones are degraded in an electrochemical membrane reactor with carbon nanotube membranes. They found that adsorption of steroid hormones on the carbon nanotubes did not limit the hormones’ subsequent degradation.

Simone Staron; Dirk Holtmann

Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have received grants from the Carl Zeiss Foundation’s CZS Wildcard program. In her project entitled UCART, physics professor Anke-Susanne Müller is working on a new radiation therapy method for directly irradiating tumors in the patient’s body with an electron accelerator. Electrobiotechnology professor Dirk Holtmann aims to develop a process for converting CO2 into useful chemicals in his CoMet2 project. With its Wildcard program, the Carl Zeiss Foundation (CZS) supports unconventional research projects with EUR 900,000 each for a period of two years.

Jonathan Schneider, KIT

Metamaterials are artificial materials that do not occur in nature. Their components function like atoms in conventional materials but have special optical, electrical and magnetic properties. Interaction between the components is crucial to a metamaterial’s functionality. Previously a component could usually interact only with its immediate neighbors. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a mechanical metamaterial with which these interactions can also be triggered at greater distances within the material. Potential uses of the material include measuring forces and structural monitoring.

Kadi4Mat, KIT

The paper introduces an approach in using the web-based application Kadi4Mat (KadiWeb) as an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) combined with an integrated instrument database to facilitate Findable - Accessible - Interoperable - Reusabe (FAIR) research data.

This work was supported by the KIT Materials Center as part of the establishment of the pilot project „Materials Device Pool“.

Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker

Prof. Dr. Peter W. Roesky (AOC) was awarded the Marianne Baudler Prize of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) for the year 2024 “for his innovative and groundbreaking contributions to lanthanide chemistry”. Prof. Roesky is an important player in MaTeLiS, initiator and contact person of the focus field Chemistry & Physics of Rare-Earth Materials.

The information has already been published on the project website. Please follow the link below.

Ioannis Karapatzakis, KIT

In a first for Germany, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have shown how so-called tin vacancies in diamonds can be precisely controlled using microwaves. These vacancies have special optical and magnetic properties and can be used as qubits, the smallest computational units for quantum computing and quantum communication. The results are an important step for the development of high-performance quantum computers and secure quantum communications networks.

Christine Liebhardt, Uni Ulm

With his highly regarded research on sustainable battery storage systems, Professor Maximilian Fichtner, Director of the Helmholtz Institute in Ulm, has achieved several trailblazing breakthroughs – and he has contributed a great deal to the expansion and visibility of the strategic research field of energy conversion and storage at Ulm University. The chemist also succeeds in making these topics and activities visible to the public and communicating them in an understandable way. On Monday, 22 July, Fichtner received the Ulm Science Prize from Lord Mayor Martin Ansbacher for his work.

Sagar Wadhwa, KIT

Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Voxalytic GmbH developed a new method that allows, for the first time, to elucidate the chiral structure of molecules – the exact spatial arrangement of the atoms – by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This important step in the development of  new drugs used to be a time-consuming process until now. The new method could now become a standard tool for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

ITCP, KIT

The production of more than 90 percent of all chemical products we use in our everyday lives relies on catalysts. Catalysts speed up chemical reactions, can reduce the energy required for these processes, and in some cases, reactions would not be possible at all without catalysts. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a concept that increases the stability of noble-metal catalysts and requires less noble metal for their production.

Amadeus Bramsiepe, KIT

Using the new NAPXAS instrument at the Karlsruhe Research Accelerator (KARA), researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Münster aim to observe at the molecular level exactly how batteries charge and discharge. By making liquids accessible for synchrotron research with soft X-rays, NAPXAS provides unique insights into the processes at work in batteries.

Gan Huang, KIT

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) introduce a polymer-based material with unique properties in the latest issue of the journal Nature Communications. This material allows sunlight to enter, maintains a more comfortable indoor climate without additional energy, and cleans itself like a lotus leaf. The new development could replace glass components in walls and roofs in the future. The research team has successfully tested the material in outdoor tests on the KIT campus.