The German Mineralogical Society (DMG) awards the 2023 Georg Agricola Medal to Professor Claudia Weidenthaler in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the field of Applied Mineralogy.
Born in 1965 in Nittenau, Germany, Claudia Weidenthaler studied geology, mineralogy, and crystallography at the University of Würzburg and completed her PhD at the University of Mainz. Following research appointments at the Universities of Bremen and Frankfurt, she joined the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim an der Ruhr in 1999. She completed her habilitation at the University of Duisburg-Essen in 2015. Professor Weidenthaler receives this award for her outstanding contributions to elucidating structure–property relationships in functional energy materials using in situ and operando diffraction and spectroscopic methods.
Her research focuses on the crystallographic characterization of inorganic functional solids that are used either as catalysts in chemical reactions or as materials for energy storage and energy conversion. She investigates structure–property relationships across multiple length scales, ranging from the average crystal structure to the local structure of amorphous or disordered materials.
For example, her in situ diffraction studies of solid-state hydrogen storage materials have significantly advanced the understanding of the structure–property relationships of complex aluminum hydrides as hydrogen storage media. Another major area of her research concerns in situ investigations of catalysts for the sustainable splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen for fuel cell applications. Her work includes structural studies of inorganic oxide catalysts, following their evolution from atomic-scale nucleation to the crystallization of nanostructured materials.
By developing specialized experimental sample environments, Professor Weidenthaler has also made it possible to investigate structural transformations in inorganic solids directly during mechanochemical synthesis in ball mills. The innovative combination of mechanosynthesis—for example, of spinels and perovskites—with simultaneous synchrotron X-ray diffraction provides unprecedented insights into solid-state reaction mechanisms, reaction kinetics, and structural and microstructural evolution. The development and implementation of tailor-made sample environments for in situ experiments under realistic reaction conditions has become a hallmark of her research.
Over the past three decades, Claudia Weidenthaler has successfully applied her expertise in crystallography and materials science to numerous interdisciplinary research projects. She has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers and has contributed as author or co-author to several monographs.
By awarding the Georg Agricola Medal, the DMG honors Professor Claudia Weidenthaler as a mineralogist whose research has not only made fundamental scientific contributions but has also significantly advanced the development of materials for the energy transition, demonstrating the essential role of Applied Mineralogy in the sustainable transformation of industry and society.
— Daniel Vollprecht · Augsburg
