Curriculum Vitae Moritz Schmidt

Scientific career

  • Current:
    Head of the department "Chemistry of the f-elements" Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Institute of Resource Ecology.
  • 2013 – 2018:
    Helmholtz Young Investigator group leader at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Institute of Resource Ecology.
  • 2012 – 2013:
    Research associate at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal.
  • 2010 – 2012:
    Research Associate at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division.
  • 11/2009:
    PhD at the University of Heidelberg, Department of Chemistry, “Untersuchungen zum Einbaumechanismus von Actiniden und Lanthaniden in Calcium-haltige Sekundärphasen” (in German).
  • 2006 – 2009:
    PhD student at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal.
  • 2006:
    Diplom (M.Sc.) in Chemistry at the University of Heidelberg

Research experience

  • Actinide chemistry
  • Geochemistry of the actinides in the context of nuclear waste storage
  • Mineral/water interface reactions
  • Structural incorporation of actinides into mineral phases
  • Site-selective time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy with Cm(III) and Eu(III)
  • Surface X-ray diffraction

Newest Publication in the Department

Triply Bonded Pancake π-Dimers Stabilized by Tetravalent Actinides

Barluzzi, L.; Ogilvie, S. P.; Dalton, A. B.; Kaden, P.; Gericke, R.; Mansikkamäki, A.; Giblin, S. R.; Layfield, R. A.

Aromatic π-stacking is a weakly attractive, non-covalent interaction often found in biological macromolecules and synthetic supramolecular chemistry. The weak non-directional nature of π-stacking can present challenges in the design of materials owing to their weak, non-directional nature. However, when aromatic π-systems contain an unpaired electron, stronger attraction involving face-to-face π-orbital overlap is possible, resulting in covalent so-called ‘pancake’ bonds. Two-electron, multicentre single pancake bonds are well-known whereas four-electron double pancake bonds are rare. Higherorder
pancake bonds have been predicted, but experimental systems are unknown. Here, we show that six-electron triple pancake bonds can be synthesized by threefold reduction of hexaazatrinaphthylene (HAN) and subsequent stacking of the [HAN]³‾ tri-radicals. Our analysis reveals a multicentre covalent triple pancake bond consisting of a π-orbital and two equivalent π-orbitals. An electrostatic stabilizing role is established for tetravalent thorium and uranium ions in these systems. We also show that the electronic absorption spectrum of the triple pancake bonds closely matches computational predictions, providing experimental verification of these unique interactions. The discovery of conductivity in thin films of the triply bonded π-dimers presents new opportunities for the discovery of single-component molecular conductors and other spinbased molecular materials.

Keywords: actinides; triply bonded pancake; stabilization; magnetism; EPR; quantum chemistry

  • Open Access Logo Journal of the American Chemical Society 146(2024)6, 4234-4241
    Online First (2024) DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c13914

Grants and Projects

  • Bioinspired polyhydroxamic sequestering agents for the in vivo decorporation of actinides
    (ActiDecorp, ANR/DFG, 04/2024-03/2027)
  • Actinide-metal-bonding at the atomic level
    (Am-BALL, BMUV, 05/2023-04/2026)
  • Investigation of the interactions of f-elements with biologically-relevant structural motives: Determination of structure-effect principles for a mobilization in the environment
    (FENABIUM-II, BMBF, 04/2023-03/2026)
  • Competition and Reversibility of sorption processes
    (KuRSiV, BMUV, 01/2023-06/2026)
  • Spectroscopic characterization of f-Element complexes with soft donor ligands
    (f-Char, BMBF, 10/2020 - 03/2024)
  • Structure effect relations between f-elements and organic ligands with natural-analogue binding modes in regards to a possible mobilization in the environment
    (FENABIUM, BMBF, 10/2016 – 05/2021)
  • Smart-Kd applications for the long term safety assessment of nuclear waste disposal sites
    (SMILE, BMWi, 09/2018 – 02/2022)
  • Helmholtz Young Investigator Group “Structures and reactivity at the aqueous/mineral interface”
    (VH-NG-942, Helmholtz Association, 10/2013 - 09/2018)