Kristina Tschulik holds the Chair of Analytical Chemistry II since 2018.

Electrochemistry Chemist receives Hellmuth Fischer Medal

Nanoparticles are the focus of the work by Kristina Tschulik.

Prof Dr Kristina Tschulik, Head of the Research Group of Electrochemistry and Nanoscale Materials and holder of the Chair of Analytical Chemistry II at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), aims to gain a better understanding of electrochemical processes. She was awarded the Hellmuth Fischer Medal 2018 by the Dechema Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie on 29th May 2018 for her contributions to fundamental research.

From nanoparticles to fuel cells

She received the medal for her outstanding contributions to investigating electrochemical processes on nanoparticles and using magnetic fields in electrochemical processes. The nanoparticles that Kristina Tschulik investigates sometimes only measure a few nanometres. The scientist develops methods to characterise chemical reactions that involve these nanoparticles. The procedures enable the concentration, size and composition of individual nanoparticles in solution to be determined. They also make it possible to record how well such particles are able to act as catalysts – knowledge that can be crucial in the development of sustainable energy technology such as fuel cells.

Kristina Tschulik was also the first to derive a model representation of the mechanism that underlies structured metal deposition from various electrolyte systems in inhomogeneous magnetic fields. In doing so, she has closed a gap in research as this electrocrystallisation had only been investigated comprehensively in homogeneous magnetic fields beforehand. Kristina Tschulik was able to show that the magnetic field-supported structuring of layers depends on the magnetic properties of the electrochemically active ions, as well as on electrolyte components that are not involved in the reaction. Her findings open up new practical methods, such as for the production of electrical circuits in computer chips and of magnetic data storage devices.

About the person

Kristina Tschulik studied chemistry at Technische Universität Dresden, where she also completed her doctorate in 2012. She then worked as a postdoc at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden and as a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellow at the University of Oxford. After spending time in Johannesburg, South Africa, she joined RUB and the team of the Resolv cluster of excellence in September 2015 as a junior professor, funded by the returnee programme by the NRW Ministry for Innovation, Science and Research. Kristina Tschulik was a guest professor at the Université Paris Diderot in France in 2017 and has led the Chair of Analytical Chemistry II at RUB since June 2018.

The medal

The Hellmuth Fischer Medal has been awarded since 1989 to international scientists for work that has led to the expansion or deepening of the fundamentals of electrochemistry, corrosion or corrosion protection or to their fundamental application in industrial practice. The medal is awarded every three years at the International Fischer Symposium, preferably to younger scientists who gained their doctorate no more than twelve years ago. Prof Dr Hellmuth Fischer (1902–1976) was a pioneer in metallurgy, electrochemistry and corrosion research.

Press contact

Prof Dr Kristina Tschulik
Chair of Analytical Chemistry II – Electrochemistry and Nanoscale Materials
Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Germany
Phone: +49 234 32 29433
Email: kristina.tschulik@rub.de

Download high-resolution images

Conditions of use

The images are free to use for members of the press, provided the relevant copyright notice is included. The images may be used solely for press coverage of Ruhr-Universität Bochum that relates solely to the contents of the article that includes the link for the image download. By downloading the images, you receive a simple right of use for one-time reporting. Saving the images for other purposes or further processing of the images that goes beyond adapting them to the respective layout requires an extended right of use. Should you therefore wish to use the photos in any other way, please contact redaktion@ruhr-uni-bochum.de

I accept the conditions of use.