MPG-Absolvent in Los Angeles ausgezeichnet

(ms) Prämiert wurden damit Schabels zukunftsweisende Arbeiten zum Stofftransport in Polymerfilmen und für die Weiterentwicklung der Mikro-Raman-Spektroskopie. Die Forschungsergebnisse, die Dr. Schabel am Institut für Thermische Verfahrenstechnik der Technischen Universität Karlsruhe erzielte, führten zu einem vertieften Verständnis der Vorgänge bei der Herstellung und Verwendung von Polymerfilmen als dünne Schichten wie organische (Halbleiter-)dünnschichten oder bei der Herstellung von Biosensoren mit bioaktiven dünnen Schichten. Vor allem haben sie Eingang in die industrielle Praxis gefunden. Schabel hat u. a. ein Messgerät entwickelt, das es ermöglicht, auch während eines Prozesses in Schichten, die dünner sind als das menschliche Haar, die Konzentration der Komponenten zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten mit einer örtlichen Auflösung von einem Tausendstel Millimeter zu messen.

Wer schon einmal sein Fahrrad umlackiert hat, kennt das Problem: Der neue Lack sieht trocken aus, die Fingerprobe jedoch beschert hässliche Abdrücke. Der Lack war an der Oberfläche trocken, die unteren Schichten indes noch nass. Was da im Kleinen passiert ist, bereitet vielen auch im Großen Kopfzerbrechen - Herstellern von optischen Folien für LCD Bildschirme, Diagnoseteststreifen, Klebestreifen oder von Wirkstoffpflastern wie Nikotin- oder Verhütungspflastern. Wilhelm Schabel kann mit der Kopplung eines konfokalen Mikroskops und der Ramanspektroskopie helfen.

Für seine Forschungen wurde er bereits 2005 von der Universität Karlsruhe mit dem Carl-Freudenberg-Preis ausgezeichnet und 2007 mit dem Arnold-Eucken-Preis der VDI-Gesellschaft Verfahrenstechnik und Chemieingenieurwesen".

Martin Schwindt

Laudatio für Willi Schabel

Speech (3-4 Minutes) auditorium of the 14th ISCST - Tue 09.09.2008 - 12:30 M

2008 L.E. SCRIVEN YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear colleagues, dear Willi,

Description:

L.E. SCRIVEN YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD is given in recognition of outstanding sustained achievements or one-time breakthroughs in the area of continuous liquid film coating science and technology. Those nominated for this award must be forty years old or younger.

Even if the candidate we have picked, Dr. Willi Schabel, has already a bunch of gray hair, he is far below 40 years old.

I will briefly try to introduce him to the coating community.

I met him first in 1999 at the ECS in Erlangen/ Germany where Willi presented his first research results on thin film drying.

Thin film drying and measuring the constituent?s profiles during the solidification process became his focus and passion.

His outstanding achievements include both experimental and theoretical aspects.

Mainly his Experimental achievement

consisted of the dedicated development of a new method and technology for measuring concentration profiles in thin drying films.

To be more specific, this is based on Confocal-Raman-Microscopy, which has been fitted and enhanced for quantitative online moisture measurements of concentration profiles during the drying of polymeric coatings.

This novel method is considered as a "Cutting Edge" in analytical investigative techniques and has provided a better level of understanding of thin film drying/formation/solidification research.

The new method still has a deep and major impact on different industrial applications.

Willi has captured the essence of film drying/formation and solidification in a quantitativ manner!

The Theoretical achievement

resulted in the development of a numerical computer program for calculating and optimizing thin film drying processes.

He and his research group presented excellent and new research results to the coating community in the following years at ISCST and ECS conferences.

The new method and technology is not only limited for academic excellence.

But it also does contribute a great deal to industrial innovations, which are generating several industrial collaborations.

The candidate has received more than 30 invitations from national, international research labs and industry to present his new investigative method and the excellent research results of his group.

Scientific Vita:

He graduated in 1996 with a "bachelor-degree" at University of-Karlsruhe in Process Engineering.

In 1997, he worked as a Trainee at DOW-Chemicals, Freeport.

In 1999, he received his ("Master-degree") in Chemical & Process Engineering at University of Karlsruhe.

From 1999-03: he worked as an Research Assistant and received his PhD with honours. The PhD Thesis was on Drying of Polymeric Films - Investigation by means of IMRS

2000-02 he was a Visiting Lecturer in Heat Transfer at the University of Applied Science at the University of Karlsruhe

In addition, 2004-06, he headed a research group at the University of Karlsruhe.

2007-08 he worked part-time in the R&D department at LOFO High Tech Film (close to Basel, Switzerland), which belongs to the Shin Kong Group/Taiwan

Today, Dr. Schabel is the elected candidate for a chair in "Thin Film Technology" at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (KIT that belongs to the TOP 3 Universities in Germany)

This means a full time University Professorship and a chair sponsored by KIT and an industrial consortium comprising ROCHE, BAYER and BASF. Willi?s upcoming academic tasks will be teaching and research.

The anticipated start is October 2008 and we are looking forward to future scientific achievements from him and his group at KIT.

Awards:

Dr. Schabel received an Award for the best PhD-Thesis at Karlsruhe University and in 2007 the Arnold-Eucken-Award of VDI (Federation of German Engineers).

This Award is the highest ranked honour for young researchers in the domain of Chemical Engineering in Germany.

Thanks:

My Thanks for the support of my nomination for the LE Scriven Young Investigator Award 2008 go

to Prof. Dr. Ernst Ulrich Schlünder, to Prof. Edgar Gutoff, to Dr. Shuzo Fuchigami Consultant, and Dr. Peter M. Schweizer Senior Manager with Polytype CH

Dr. Schabel is now 35 years old, married to Birgit and they have three Children.

I am personally very proud to hand over the L.E. Scriven Young Investigator Award 2008 with a plaque and cheque to Dr. Wilhelm Schabel!

(Written on the plaque) Dr. Schabel is honoured for his outstanding research contributions in thin film drying technology and unique advancements of analytical tools for collecting quantitative data .

Congratulations!

und

Mein persönlichen Glückwunsch Willi!