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Welcome to "4f for Future"
Welcome to the website of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1573 "4f for Future". CRC 1573 is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and has officially been launched on January 1st, 2023, cf. press releases from DFG and KIT. It is coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), its current partners are the University of Marburg (UMR), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU, since 10/2023), the University of Tübingen (UTÜ) and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU, since 08/2024).
Materials based on rare-earth metals and their compounds are of crucial importance to our modern high-tech society. Surprisingly, the molecular chemistry of these elements is poorly developed. However, recent progress in this area has shown that this is going to change: In the past years, dynamic developments in the chemistry and physics of molecular rare earth compounds have shifted borders and paradigms that existed for decades.
The chemistry of molecular and nanoscaled rare-earth compounds and their physical properties are in the focus of our CRC “4f for Future”. Its researchers will study synthesis paths and physical properties of new molecular and nanoscaled rare-earth compounds in order to develop materials with unprecedented optical and magnetic properties.
Find out more about the individual research projects here.
Congratulations to our Mercator Fellow Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Roberta Sessoli (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy), leading expert in molecular magnetism: she received her certificate of appointment as a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina yesterday evening during the ceremony in Halle (Saale), Germany (she is the 5th from the left in the group photo).
The upcoming policy workshop "The Rare Earth Elements: These high tech enablers" on May 14, 2025, will focus on the impact of using rare earth elements (REEs) on reserves, resources, geopolitics, and the environment, as well as on REE applications and REE recycling.
Conscious of the importance to link science to society, the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) organises policy workshops where science meets citizens and policymakers to debate and provide scientific feedback and answers to some of the most pressing challenges we face.
Our CRC speaker Prof. Peter W. Roesky will lead this event at the European Parliament and the EuChemS office, both in Brussels, as scientific chair; the list of speakers includes project leader Prof. Mario Ruben. More information can be found here.
Our deputy CRC spokesperson Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dehnen, Executive Director at KIT's Institute of Nanotechnology (INT), was awarded the prestigious Hector Science Award 2024, jointly with Prof. Matthias H. Tschöp (Helmholtz Munich), honouring her outstanding research in the field of inorganic chemistry. As an expert for highly innovative, extremely sophisticated, and also sustainable inorganic and organoelement synthesis, she has made significant contributions to the chemistry of cluster compounds and their creative extensions to materials science.
The executive board of the Hector Foundation and previous award winners - a circle of now 32 Hector Fellows who are jointly committed to interdisciplinary cutting-edge research in Germany - met for the award ceremony on January 24, 2025.
Our CRC project leader Tonya Vitova, who is heading a research group at KIT's Institute of Nuclear Waste Disposal (INE) focussed on the systematic investigation of the electronic & coordination structures of actinide and chemical homologue lanthanide systems with novel synchrotron-based high energy resolution X-ray techniques, was appointed W3 professor for advanced X-ray spectroscopy in f-element chemistry at KIT.
Congratulations to her and continued high output in research and teaching!
The latest CRC paper covering "Dinuclear Dysprosium Compounds: The Importance of Rigid Bridges" by the group of Annie K. Powell in collaboration with renowned international groups from Copenhagen, Florence and Grenoble has been selected as a hot paper in Chem. Eur. J. (doi:10.1002/chem.202403002).
The cover feature presented here shows the influence of different bridging units between two Dy(III) ions on the magnetic coupling and dynamic behaviour. The peroxo-bridge is rigid because the O−O bond leads to a longer inter-Dy distance resulting in antiferromagnetic coupling and slow relaxation of magnetisation characteristic of a single molecule magnet (SMM). The bis-fluoride bridges are floppy as there is no connection between the two bridging atoms. This compound is ferromagnetically coupled but shows no SMM behaviour. The rigidity clearly influences the dynamic behaviour likely as a result of different spin–phonon coupling.
We proudly announce that the next "Terrae Rarae" conference ("33. Tage der Seltenen Erden") will be hosted by our CRC 1573 "4f for Future" (funded by the German Research Foundation, DFG). It will take place at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) from October 7 to 9, 2025.
We are excited to welcome the rare-earth science community in Karlsruhe this fall. More information, a call for papers, a list of plenary speakers, as well as details pertaining to the registration process and travel information, will be made available in the next weeks and months.
Our PI Prof. Lena Daumann and her doctoral co-worker Sophie Gutenthaler-Tietze gave an enlightening interview to the online magazine Chemistry Views about their research & outreach activities, in particular recent experiences filming for the popular German children’s program "Die Sendung mit der Maus" (The Show with the Mouse).
They emphasize that "science outreach is very important for our society and in terms of representation", concluding that "we need to show the full diversity of scientists to inspire the next generations".
You can access the full interview here.
In November 2024 a two-part scientific illustration hands-on workshop was held for the members of our "4f for Future" IRTG.
Following the motto that science, art, and design have a profound connection, Dr. Johannes Richers, a scientist & freelance creative designer, was eager to share his vast knowledge in the field of visual science communication and to tutor our doctoral researchers on how to use images and illustrations to this end. All participants were finally encouraged to contribute their individual work which was analyzed and discussed on a digital mural whiteboard.
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Hinweis
Der Sonderforschungsbereich SFB 1573 "4f for Future" befasst sich mit der Chemie molekularer und nanoskaliger Verbindungen der Seltenen Erden sowie ihren physikalischen Eigenschaften.
Diese Webseite ist nur in englischer Sprache verfügbar. Für deutschsprachige Informationen wenden Sie sich bitte an webmaster∂sfb1573.kit.edu.