EDITORIAL

Robert Schöllhorn: a tribute on the occasionof his 75th birthday

Alexander Nemudry & Werner Paulus & Hellmut Eckert

Published online: 3 February 2011# Springer-Verlag 2011

As a commitment, as well as appreciation, and incelebration of the 75th birthday of Professor RobertSchöllhorn, this special issue is composed of contributionsfrom his former colleagues and students. It is also a tribute

in respect for his integrity, curiosity, and enthusiasm havinginfluenced many colleagues, students, and science throughhis pioneering work in the field of solid state chemistry andits reactivity.

Although in early days of his outstanding scientificcareer, Robert Schöllhorn has been interested in theunderstanding of the reactivity of molecular systemssuch as the reduction and fixation of molecular nitrogen,his scientific identity and reputation is since more thanfour decades connected to the field of intercalationchemistry and the understanding of solid state reactionmechanisms.

He explored a large variety of guest–host systems andtheir respective interactions with the vision of reaching abetter understanding of the underlying reaction mechanismsand related physical properties. Always pushing to utilizeequipment at the forefront of instrumental development, hispioneering work provided unique insights into the kinetics,mechanisms, and the structural and dynamic aspects ofsolid-state reactions and intercalation chemistry. Particularhighlights of this work include the in situ study of reactingsystems by real time neutron diffraction (shortly after theinstallation of the high-flux neutron reactor at the ILLGrenoble) and the application of solid-state nuclear mag-netic resonance techniques (together with his long-termcollaborator Werner Müller-Warmuth) to localize theintercalated guest molecules and to characterize theirdynamics within these highly anisotropic environments.Based on the systematic analysis and exploration of a largevariety of systems with different dimensionalities, herecognized the intercalation process of neutral moleculesinto metallic and semiconducting host lattices as atopotactical redox reaction with simultaneous electron/ion transfer. This conceptual breakthrough, summarizedin the article “Reversible Topotactic Redox Reactions of

A. Nemudry (*)Institute of Solid State Chemistryand Mechanochemistry SB RAS,Novosibirsk, Russiae-mail: nemudry@solid.nsc.ru

H. EckertInstitut für Physikalische Chemie,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster,Corrensstr. 28/30,48149 Münster, Germanye-mail: eckerth@uni-muenster.de

W. PaulusSciences Chimiques de Rennes-UMR 6226,Université de Rennes 1,Matériaux Inorganiques: Chimie Douce et Réactivité,Campus de Beaulieu, Bât 10B,35042 Rennes, Francee-mail: werner.paulus@univ-rennes1.fr

J Solid State Electrochem (2011) 15:211–212DOI 10.1007/s10008-011-1304-0

Solids by Electron-Ion Transfer ”, (Angewandte Chemie,1980) remains one of his most influential contributions tothis research area. It opened the door to the controlledpreparation of non-stoichiometric compounds via coulo-metric synthesis and was quickly adopted by manylaboratories all over the world. Many of the newelectroactive materials, which are nowadays being usedas electrode components in mobile energy sources, suchas lithium ion batteries and fuel cells, originate from this

central idea. From today's perspective, we can state thatRobert Schöllhorn's work has laid the foundations andcontributed significantly to the enormous progress witnessedin this research area.

In appreciation of his excellent science and of the greatscientific impact his insights and ideas have made indeveloping the field of solid-state electrochemistry to whereit stands today, we dedicate this special volume to RobertSchöllhorn in honor of his 75th birthday.

212 J Solid State Electrochem (2011) 15:211–212