Michaely, Anna

► Research

High-energy ball mills enable new reaction paths that differ significantly from those of classical solid-state chemical reactions. In classical inorganic solids, such as oxides, mechanochemical treatment can, for example, produce metastable phases or enrich defects in the material, which can lead to novel chemical reactivities of the products.

In the PhD thesis, the mechanochemical reduction of various metal oxides with different reducing agents is systematically investigated. The aim is the partial reduction of early transition metal oxides of groups 4 and 5 with both different alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or boron or aluminum hydrides. The obtained oxides are characterized by XRD, EPR, UV-Vis, Raman and TGA to obtain information about their structure, optical properties and the degree of reduction. Another focus is the reduction and simultaneous modification of the particle surface using organosilanes or -phosphines and the comparison of the properties of the functionalized particles, with those of the non-functionalized ones. The oxides produced in this way are then tested for possible applications, for example in the field of catalysis or the intercalation of sodium or lithium.