Chemistry off the beaten track

This year the Dresden scientist Michael Ruck receives the commemorative coin "Will-Kleber-Gedenkmünze" of the German Society for Crystallography (DGK). The prize was awarded to the Professor of Inorganic Chemistry II at the TU Dresden on 25 March during the 27th Annual Conference of the DGK in Leipzig.

"Prof. Michael Ruck receives the Will-Kleber-Gedenkmünze for his excellent, broad and far-sighted research on synthesis, crystal growth and structure elucidation", Dr. Julia Dshemuchadse of the Prize Committee of the DGK quoted the text of the certificate. It also acknowledges the great care taken by the chemist, his analytical sharpness and his comprehensive understanding of materials. Ruck also receives praise for his meticulousness and the comprehensive work on research topics using complementary methods "in order to fully and unequivocally substantiate the results".

© M. Ruck

 "I was completely surprised by the award and take it as confirmation of our course to carry out research off the beaten track," said Prof. Michael Ruck.

In almost 30 years of research, Prof. Ruck has achieved numerous successes and achievements in the field of crystallography: he has developed, adapted and characterized new synthesis routes for the production and crystallization of inorganic solids; he shows a good feeling for newly emerging research topics and their transfer to his field of expertise. After studying chemistry in Karlsruhe, Michael Ruck earned his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart. He habilitated at the University of Karlsruhe in 1997 and was appointed professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the TU Dresden in 2000. From 2006 to 2009, Ruck also chaired the "Solid-State Chemistry and Materials Research" group of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), which was followed in 2010 by his appointment as a Max Planck Fellow.

"These successes are the result of many years of work and a consistent commitment to technical quality and intellectual standards. Looking back, things fit together in my career," Ruck sums up his award-winning research path. "I received a lot of support, initially from my outstanding academic teachers and later from my motivated staff, who followed the not-so-easy path.

The successes of the Ruck working group were expressly highlighted by the DGK award winners: In particular, the development of innovative synthesis processes for heterometallic clusters under mild temperature and pressure conditions; due to their high reactivity, these composites can be used, among other things, as catalysts. In addition to energy savings, Ruck's synthesis method enables the design of hybrid materials with thermolabile components. In addition, the group he heads focuses on innovative material concepts for nano- and molecular electronics as well as on the search and characterization of new materials and material properties, such as magnetic materials with polar crystal structure or unconventional superconductors.

In 2013, Prof. Ruck initiated the DFG Priority Programme "Materials Synthesis Near Room Temperature" (SPP 1708). It comprises 17 projects looking for sustainable chemical processes for more efficient production with lower temperatures, higher purity and yield for known and new functional materials.

Media inquiries:
Prof. Michael Ruck
Professor of Inorganic Chemistry II
phone: +49 351 463-33244