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Overview

Research in the Weitzel group is focussed on experimental and theoretical studies of the formation, transport and reactivity of ions. This research covers all aspects of physical chemistry including thermodynamics, spectroscopy, kinetics and electrochemistry. One important aspect of ion formation is the thermionic generation of metal ion beams. This provides e.g. access to ionic work functions of Li+ from battery materials and combined with the electronic work function allows for a self-consistent thermodynamic description of a battery. On the other hand, molecular ions are formed by laser ionization. Here, spectrally high resolved laser radiation are used to generate rotationally state-selected molecular ions (high-resolution spectroscopy), which in turn are further used for measuring reactive cross sections (kinetics) in state-selective ion-molecule reactions. Ultra-short laser pulses (with a broad spectrum) are used to analyze structural isomerism and chirality by means of femtosecond laser ionization mass spectrometry. Several projects focus on the transport of ions and/or electrons in solid-state materials in particular in glasses, crystals, polymers and polyelectrolyte membranes (solid-state electrochemistry, solid-state ionics). A unique selling point of the Weitzel group is the charge attachment induced transport technique developed in our group. This approach allows measuring concentration dependent conductivity and diffusion coefficients and even distinguishing competing charge carriers in a solid material.