Chair Of Materials Chemistry (Mch) Rwth Aachen University

The Chair of Materials Chemistry (MCh) was established in 2002 and is led by Prof. Jochen M. Schneider. The Chair was actually founded in 1960 as Chair for Metallurgy of Nuclear Fuels and Theoretical Metallurgy, led by Prof. Otmar Knacke. From 1987 onwards, Prof. Dieter Neuschütz was head of the then-renamed Chair of Theoretical Metallurgy. In 2002, Prof. Jochen Schneider took over and shifted the scope from metallurgy to materials design. The newly entitled Chair for Materials Chemistry currently consists of around 20 scientific employees, electrical and mechanical workshops, and a management office. At Materials Chemistry we design materials for application in harsh environments such as during metal cutting or energy conversion. Our research philosophy is knowledge-based materials design combining experiments with atomistic calculations. We mostly deal with thin films which we produce by sputtering or cathodic arc deposition, both in the laboratory and industrial coating chambers. We are equipped with basic characterization techniques for chemical composition, structure, microstructure, mechanical, and electrical properties. We are also hosting advanced characterization techniques such as Atom Probe Tomography. Finally, our knowledge-based approach involves quantum mechanical calculations which are performed on the supercomputers installed at the RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich. Aside from research, we are also involved in teaching at the BSc and MSc levels. Visit our webpage for more information on basic and advanced courses offered.