Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences - Department of Chemistry

Inorganic Materials (optional obligatory course)

The course is presented as a series of lectures, covering a wide range of aspects of the chemistry, analysis and applications of inorganic materials.


Introduction: Definitions, inorganic materials as polymers, functional and structural materials, solids and reactivity in the solid state.

Chemistry and properties of silicate based construction materials .

New materials: Ceramics and glasses, composite materials, advanced inorganic materials and their applications, architectural ceramics, technical ceramics (fireproof ceramics, chemically resistant materials, ceramics for mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and optical applications; biocompatible ceramics, isolators and conductive ceramics, HTSC), heterogeneous catalysis, inorganic polymers in medicine and microelectronics.

Inorganic polymers, dendrimers, meso- and nanostructured materials .

Synthetic methods for the preparation of well-defined structures and materials.

Characterization of both the surface and the volume of inorganic materials: diffraction methods, photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, UPS), ISS, electron microscopy, solid state NMR, ESR, UV/VIS.


Practical training

Synthesis of binary and ternary transition metal oxides (sol-gel process, CPD, hydrothermal and solvothermal syntheses).
Solid-state NMR studies of siliceous and oxidic systems.
In situ characterization of catalysts (ESR, UV/VIS).
Testing of construction / building materials.
X-ray diffraction of powders and single crystals.


U. Schubert, N. Hüsing: "Synthesis of Inorganic Materials", Wiley-VCH, 2000.
W. Göpel, C. Ziegler: "Einführung in die Materialwissenschaften. Physikalisch-chemische Grundlagen und Anwendungen", Teubner Studienbücher Physik, B.G. Teubner Stuttgart Leipzig 1996.
D.W. Bruce, D.O’Hare (Eds.): "Inorganic Materials", John Wiley & Sons, New York 1992
R.C. Ropp: "Studies in Inorganic Chemistry 15, Inorganic Polymeric Glasses", Elsevier, Amsterdam 1992.