We create molecular switches, responsive polymers and BN-PAHs designed as functional emitters for OLED and circularly polarized luminescence applications.
Otto Diels Institute54.338° N / 10.122° EEst. in Kiel · 2010
Group Members 01
The Staubitz Group in KielGroup excursionTogether by the Kiel waterfront
Principal Investigator
Full Professor · Chair of Organic Chemistry
Prof. Dr. Anne Staubitz
Anne Staubitz studied biochemistry at the University of Tübingen and worked with Paul Knochel at LMU Munich on novel Grignard reagents. She completed her PhD with Varinder Aggarwal at the University of Bristol and continued there as a postdoctoral researcher with Ian Manners, investigating main-group inorganic polymers and catalytic dehydrocoupling reactions of group 13/15 adducts.
She began her independent career as an assistant professor at Kiel University in 2010, moved to the University of Bremen as a W2 professor in 2015 and became a W3 professor in 2020. In 2024, she returned to Kiel as Chair of Organic Chemistry.
Her research focuses on molecular switches, switchable polymer systems and their materials-science applications, as well as organotin heterocycles and organic frameworks containing group 13 and group 15 elements.
Bachelor's and master's thesis students, listed chronologically by the start of their time in the group.
01
Hinrich Reller
MA · Supervisor: — 06.2024 – 02.2025
02
Lukas Geese
BA · Supervisor: CE 07.2024 – 09.2024
03
Hannes Voß
BA · Supervisor: CE 09.2024 – 01.2025
04
Henrik Paul
BA · Supervisor: CE 09.2024 – 01.2025
05
Beshr Madaraty
MA · Supervisor: CE 11.2024 – 05.2025
06
Thuy Chinh Ta
MA · Supervisor: THK 04.2025 – 10.2025
07
Briga Klopp
BA · Supervisor: CE 05.2025 – 09.2025
08
Tobias Sieve
MA · Supervisor: CE 05.2025 – 11.2025
09
Dennis Kerber
BA · Supervisor: THK 07.2025 – 11.2025
10
Christopher Freytag
BA · Supervisor: HKR 07.2025 – 11.2025
11
Hacer Burak
BA · Supervisor: CE 08.2025 – 12.2025
12
Sandro Paap
BA · Supervisor: CE 08.2025 – 11.2025
13
Leon Bartelt
BA · Supervisor: JL 09.2025 – 12.2025
14
Jannis-Laurin Kuntsch
BA · Supervisor: HKR 10.2025
15
Jenny Gröger
BA · Supervisor: HKR 11.2025
16
Briga Klopp
BA · Supervisor: JL 12.2025 – 03.2026
17
Malin Kaak
MA · Supervisor: CE 12.2025 – 06.2026
18
Dennis Lindstedt
BA · Supervisor: HKR 05.2026 – 08.2026
Research 02
From Molecular Design to Material Impact
From a molecular event to a material-scale function: we design every level of the system.
01Molecular switches
Azobenzene-based molecular switches
We design and synthesise azobenzene photoswitches with exceptionally long thermal half-lives by combining macrocyclic architectures with strategic fluorination, while precisely controlling geometry and light-driven switching behaviour.
02Responsive materials
Switchable polymer films and hydrogels
We translate molecular switching into macroscopic function in photobendable polymer films, responsive hydrogels and other light-controlled soft materials.
03Circularly polarized luminescence
BN-PAH materials for CPL
We design chiral boron- and nitrogen-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with intense circularly polarized luminescence, combining rigid helicene architectures with high fluorescence efficiency and enhanced CPL brightness.
04OLED · TADF
BN-PAH OLED emitters
Our current research focuses on boron- and nitrogen-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as TADF materials for efficient OLED emitters, with precisely tuned excited states and thermally activated delayed fluorescence.
05Cross-coupling · Catalysis
Selective synthesis
We develop selective cross-coupling strategies and heterogeneous catalytic methods for the controlled preparation of complex functional molecules and materials.
06Main-group chemistry · Optoelectronics
Tin heterocycles
We investigate tin-containing heterocycles such as stannoles and how their incorporation into conjugated systems changes optical, electronic and electrochemical properties. Replacing thiophene units with stannoles can red-shift absorption and emission, lower optical band gaps and open routes towards functional low-band-gap materials.
Funding & Cooperations Partners in discovery
Science grows through collaboration.
Our research is enabled by funding partners and strengthened through collaborations across chemistry, materials science and neighbouring disciplines.
01
Funding
Funding partners
We gratefully acknowledge the organisations whose support makes our research possible.
Deutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftDFG
DFG – Emmy Noether Programme
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu KielCAU Kiel
Volkswagen Stiftung
02
Cooperations
Research partners
Our interdisciplinary collaborations connect molecular chemistry with materials science, morphology, biomechanics and photochemistry.
Bistable Dual‐Responsive Azobenzene‐co‐PNIPAM Soft Microactuators via Two‐Photon Direct Laser Writing
C. Barwig, R. Colaco, A. Koch, S. Geiger, E. R. Curticean, I. Wacker, Z. Wang, M. Schmidt, A. Sonn, S. Pashapour, F. Taheri, R. R. Schröder, A. Staubitz and C. Selhuber-Unkel, Advanced Intelligent Systems 2026, 8, 2500890.
Superswelling, Supershrinking, and a Broadened Phase Transition─Amphiphilic Thermosensitivity in Sulfonate-Functionalized Azobenzene-co-NIPAAm Hydrogels and Polymers
R. Colaco, N. Wolf, P. Hepke, R. Renken and A. Staubitz, ACS Applied Polymer Materials 2025, 7, 13896-13906.
Boosting quantum yields and circularly polarized luminescence of penta- and hexahelicenes by doping with two BN-groups
Y. Appiarius, S. Míguez-Lago, P. Puylaert, N. Wolf, S. Kumar, M. Molkenthin, D. Miguel, T. Neudecker, M. Juríček, A. G. Campaña and A. Staubitz, Chemical Science 2024, 15, 466-476.
Synthesis and crystal structure of 2-(anthracen-9-yl)-1-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-3,6-dihydro-1λ4,2λ4-azaborinine
P.J. Gliese, Y. Appiarius, T. Scheele, E. Lork, T. Neudecker and A. Staubitz, Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications 2023 , 79, 1012-1016.
Nanoporous Gold: From Structure Evolution to Functional Properties in Catalysis and Electrochemistry
G. Wittstock, M. Bäumer, W. Dononelli, T. Klüner, L. Lührs, C. Mahr, L.V. Moskaleva, M. Oezaslan, T. Risse, A. Rosenauer, A. Staubitz, J. Weissmüller and A. Wittstock, Chemical Reviews 2023 , 123, 6716-6792.
BN-Substitution in Dithienylpyrenes Prevents Excimer Formation in Solution and in the Solid State
Y. Appiarius, P.J. Gliese, S.A.W. Segler, P. Rusch, J. Zhang, P.J. Gates, R. Pal, L.A. Malaspina, K. Sugimoto, T. Neudecker, N.C. Bigall, S. Grabowsky, A.A. Bakulin and A. Staubitz, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2022 , 126, 4563-4576.
The influence of the formal replacement of thiophenes by stannoles in terthiophene and sexithiophene on the optoelectronic properties and electrochemical behavior
J. Hoffmann, I.-M. Ramirez y Medina, M. Hissler and A. Staubitz, Dalton Transactions 2021 , 50, 6213-6221.
F. Kleemiss, A. Justies, D. Duvinage, P. Watermann, E. Ehrke, K. Sugimoto, M. Fugel, L.A. Malaspina, A. Dittmer, T. Kleemiss, P. Puylaert, N.R. King, A. Staubitz, T.M. Tzschentke, R. Dringen, S. Grabowsky and J. Beckmann, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2020 , 63, 12614-12622.
Conjugated oligomers with alternating heterocycles from a single monomer: synthesis and demonstration of electroluminescence
S. Urrego-Riveros, M. Bremer, J. Hoffmann, A. Heitmann, T. Reynaldo, J. Buhl, P. J. Gates, F. D. Sönnichsen, M. Hissler, M. Gerken and A. Staubitz, Organic Chemistry Frontiers 2019, 6, 3636-3643.
Tuning the Optoelectronic Properties of Stannoles by the Judicious Choice of the Organic Substituents
I.-M. Ramirez y Medina, M. Rohdenburg, F. Mostaghimi, S. Grabowsky, P. Swiderek, J. Beckmann, J. Hoffmann, V. Dorcet, M. Hissler and A. Staubitz, Inorganic Chemistry 2018 , 57, 12562-12575.
Crystal structures of 3,3′-bis(hydroxydimethylsilanyl)azobenzene and 4,4′-bis(hydroxydimethylsilane)azobenzene
J. Strüben, J. Hoffmann, D. Presa-Soto, C. Näther and A. Staubitz, Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications 2016 , 72, 1590-1594.
A Cooperative Role for the Counteranion in the PCl5-Initiated Living, Cationic Chain Growth Polycondensation of the Phosphoranimine Cl3P═NSiMe3
V. Blackstone, S. Pfirrmann, H. Helten, A. Staubitz, A. Presa Soto, G.R. Whittell and I. Manners, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2012 , 134, 15293-15296.
Experimental and Theoretical Studies of the Potential Interconversion of the Amine–Borane iPr2NH·BH(C6F5)2 and the Aminoborane iPr2N=B(C6F5)2 Involving Hydrogen Loss and Uptake
A.P.M. Robertson, G.R. Whittell, A. Staubitz, K. Lee, A.J. Lough and I. Manners, European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry 2011 , 2011, 5279-5287.
Catalytic Dehydrocoupling/Dehydrogenation ofN-Methylamine-Borane and Ammonia-Borane: Synthesis and Characterization of High Molecular Weight Polyaminoboranes
A. Staubitz, M.E. Sloan, A.P.M. Robertson, A. Friedrich, S. Schneider, P.J. Gates, J. Schmedt auf der Günne and I. Manners, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2010 , 132, 13332-13345.
Redox-Active Metallomacrocycles and Cyclic Metallopolymers: Photocontrolled Ring-Opening Oligomerization and Polymerization of Silicon-Bridged [1]Ferrocenophanes Using Substitutionally-Labile Lewis Bases as Initiators
D.E. Herbert, J.B. Gilroy, W.Y. Chan, L. Chabanne, A. Staubitz, A.J. Lough and I. Manners, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009 , 131, 14958-14968.
Iridium-catalyzed dehydrocoupling of primary amine-borane adducts: a route to high molecular weight polyaminoboranes, boron-nitrogen analogues of polyolefins
A. Staubitz, A. Presa Soto and I. Manners, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2008 , 47, 6212-6215.
Cyclic voltammetry reveals oxidation and reduction potentials, electrochemical reversibility and redox stability, helping us understand the electronic properties of molecular switches and emitter materials.
Compact PGSTAT204 potentiostat/galvanostat
Maximum current: ±400 mA; compliance voltage: ±20 V
Operation in 2-, 3- and 4-electrode configurations
Gas-tight TSC 1600 closed cell with glassy-carbon electrode
Ag pseudo-micro reference electrode for the gas-tight cell
Classical cell with Ag/AgCl reference, platinum-sheet counter electrode and interchangeable 2 mm glassy-carbon working electrode
Control and data evaluation with NOVA software
External-device triggering for in-situ spectroelectrochemistry
Polarized optical microscopy (POM) uses crossed polarizers to reveal birefringence, textures, phase transitions and molecular ordering that are not visible in ordinary bright-field microscopy.
Olympus BH-2 POM with trinocular head for simultaneous observation and image capture
Panasonic camera with MTV-3 C-mount adapter and Philips live monitor
Instec J035 heating stage with adjustable target temperature and heating rate
10× eyepieces with 4×, 10×, 20× and 40× objectives
Thorlabs upLED sources for wavelength-selective irradiation of samples in quartz cuvettes or NMR tubes, enabling photostationary-state and photoswitching studies.
M365L3: 365 nm
M415L4: 415 nm · 170 mW cm⁻²
M455L4: 455 nm · 177 mW cm⁻²
M530L4: 530 nm · 164 mW cm⁻²
M590L4: 590 nm · 144 mW cm⁻²
MWWHL4 white LED: 400–800 nm · 166 mW cm⁻²
upLEDs operated at 1000 mA
Thorlabs LCL1582-M plano-concave lens (f = −75 mm) for focusing and collimation
Typical LED-to-sample distance: 3 cm; cuvette experiments performed with stirring