Esser Research Group

With @luisarzesny.bsky.social and @philippseitz.bsky.social

Exploring the World of Double Nanohoops As two conjugated nanohoops covalently linked by a central unit, double nanohoops are a relatively new class of strained nanocarbons with different properties to single nanohoops. This review gives a...

Recent studies showed that speaking multiple languages protects against accelerated aging. We invite you to explore the fascinating world of double nanohoops, available both in English and German (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...) in Angewandte Chemie

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Contact Electrification via Redox‐Active Molecules We present a novel molecular design strategy to perform electronic charge transfer during contact electrification by functionalizing surfaces with redox-active organic molecules. To elucidate and qua...

Finally - after 5+ years of intensive collaborative research effort with Bizan Balzer and others - our paper on contact electrification via redox-active organic molecules is out in Angewandte Chemie! @uniulm.bsky.social @uni-freiburg.de @livmats.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Chiral Nanohoops as an Efficient Spin Polarization System Chiral conjugated nanohoops with a central dibenzopentalene unit exhibit 90% spin polarization at low voltage and high conductivity. These properties make them ideal components in molecular spintroni...

With Ron Naaman, we investigate an exciting new application avenue for chiral conjugated nanohoops. Dibenzopentalene-based SMe-terminated nanohoops show a high spin polarization by magnetic-conductive atomic force microscopy.
With @philippseitz.bsky.social, @uniulm.bsky.social

Syntheses by @philippseitz.bsky.social with support by Darleen Busse and Xiaoshuang Xiang, DFT calculations by @luisarzesny.bsky.social, single-crystal X-ray data resolution by Mathias Hermann, chiroptical properties by Lilian Estaque and Gregory Pieters. @uniulm.bsky.social www.esserlab.com

Size and Geometry Impact the Chiroptical Properties of Double Nanohoops Conjugated nanohoops have attracted much attention in recent years due to their unique optoelectronic properties. A more complex geometry, in which two nanohoops are covalently linked to form a so-cal...

Excited to share our newest JACS publication on double nanohoops featuring a tetrahydroindenoindene linker! In a systematic approach with single-hoop reference compounds, we uncover how geometry and asymmetry enhance optical properties, giving record-breaking PLQYs and amplified CD and CPL.

@uniulm.bsky.social @luisarzesny.bsky.social with Philippe Poizot from @univ-nantes.fr, with funding from DFG/ANR project ORGANION @dfg.de @agencerecherche.bsky.social

From Neutral Zwitterion to Electroactive Disalt: Electrochemical Insights into Double Zwitterionic Viologens for Anion‐Insertion Batteries This study investigates and compares two viologen–carboxylate materials featuring double zwitterionic backbones as host materials. The disalt form exhibits electrochemical activity via a reversible a...

Your newly designed battery material does not show electrochemical activity? Have you tried turning it off and on again? We have. Using viologen zwitterions we could activate them with the electrolyte salt and generate an electroactive disalt with anion insertion.
doi.org/10.1002/batt...

Enhanced Solubility and Deprotection of Pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraones through Propylene Glycol and Propanediol Protection Pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone (PTO) is a building block of significant interest for functional organic materials. Due to the sensitivity of the vicinal diones toward bases and metal-ion chelation, and low ...

Working with pyrenetetraone (PTO) building blocks? Check out our new protective group strategy to facilitate their syntheses! As a joint venture with @DumeleLab, we present a simple solution to some preparative difficulties of using PTOs in functional materials. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Synthesis of Poly(1,4‐anthraquinone) Using Catalytic Amounts of Nickel P14AQ is an excellent battery electrode material, especially for multivalent battery cells. A new synthetic route is presented using stable and easy-to-handle dibromobis(triphenylphosphine)nickel(II)...

We are excited to report on poly(1,4-anthraquinone) synthesis using only catalytic amounts of nickel! This route furnishes P14AQ in higher yields and molecular masses and improves the environmental impact categories climate change, human toxicity and cumulative energy demand. @uniulm.bsky.social

We had a lot of fun at ESOC 2025 in Copenhagen @esoc2025.bsky.social with current and former group members. Fantastic science and great community! @ppenert.bsky.social @robinwess.bsky.social

With @robinwess.bsky.social

Dual-State Ambipolar Charge Transport in Antiaromatic [4]cyclodibenzopentalene Single-Molecule Nanohoops Antiaromatic compounds are of great interest due to their narrow highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gaps, high reactivity, and enhanced charge mobility, yet their role in single-molecule electronics is still not well understood. Using electrochemically controlled scanning tunneling microscopy break junction (ECSTM-BJ) measurements, we compared the energy-alignment-dependent conductance of the aromatic [10]cycloparaphenylene ([10]CPP) and the antiaromatic [4]cyclodibenzopentalene ([4]CDBP). While [10]CPP showed a single conductance state via the HOMO, [4]CDBP exhibited two distinct states involving both the HOMO and LUMO. Our analysis and DFT calculations attribute this dual-state behavior to unique anchoring mode and energy-level realignment within a narrow HOMO-LUMO gap. This property enables electron- and hole-dominated pathways that depend on the anchoring configuration and coexist at a fixed gate potential. This phenomenon, also observed in the [4]CDBP⊃C60 structure, highlights the potential of antiaromatic molecules for advanced molecular electronics.

Discover the hidden potential of the antiaromatic [4]cyclodibenzopentalene for tomorrow's electronics. It enables two stable conduction pathways, unlocking new possibilities in molecular-scale switching. Compared to conventional [10]CPP, it shows remarkable versatility.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Phenothiazine Polymers as Versatile Electrode Materials for Next-Generation Batteries ConspectusOrganic battery electrode materials are key enablers of different postlithium cell chemistries. As a p-type compound with up to two reversible redox processes at relatively high potentials o...

We are thrilled that our latest article in Accounts of Materials Research was selected as ACS Editors’ choice article. We provide an account of our activities on phenothiazine polymers as battery electrode materials, exhibit interesting characteristics, such as the formation of π-π-interactions.

Quantifying Local Heterogeneities in the 3D Morphology of X-PVMPT Battery Electrodes Based on FIB-SEM Measurements Organic electrode-active materials (OAMs) enable a variety of charge and storage mechanisms and are advantageous compared with lithium-ion batteries in terms of costs and safety. Cross-linked poly(3-v...

Great collaborative work with Matthias Naumann @tugraz.bsky.social, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and @uniulm.bsky.social within SPP 2248 (Polymer-based batteries) @dfg.de on the 3D morphology of X-PVMPT electrodes in ACS Materials Letters pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Side-by-side photographs, the left showing three people stood smiling at the camera with the middle person holding up a certificate, the right showing a presenter pointing to research on a projector screen.

Congratulations to Wojciech Stawski from Ulm University for winning the CCDC/CCG Prize 2025, announced this afternoon at the @crystallography.org.uk Spring Meeting.

Discover more about Wojciech Stawski's ground-breaking work here: ccdc-info.com/4imVWF3

#Crystallography #BCA25

With @robinwessling.bsky.social @uniulm.bsky.social

How Do Organic Batteries Work? Theoretical and Design Principles of Electrode Materials for All‐Organic Batteries This concept article provides a comprehensive introduction and overview of how (fully) organic batteries and the respective redox-active organic electrode materials work. Options for cell setups are ...

We also made the move to bluesky, check out our latest conceptual review about batteries, written by organic chemists for (but not only) organic chemists. We discuss basic concepts of electrochemistry and materials design for (all-)organic batteries. advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...