Holger Helten

Prof. Dr. Holger Helten is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Würzburg, where he leads the Helten Research Group at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and is associated with the Institute for Sustainable Chemistry and Catalysis with Boron (ICB). His research focuses on developing novel soft materials that combine organic and inorganic building blocks to create hybrid materials with unique properties not achievable with purely organic compounds.

His research interests include:

• π-Conjugated Inorganic—Organic Hybrid Polymers
• Inorganic Main Group Macromolecules
• Catalytic Formation of Element—Element Bonds
• Nanostructured Hybrid Materials
• Molecular Hybrid Materials

Prof. Helten's work particularly focuses on boron-nitrogen containing polymers as analogues to traditional organic semiconductors. His group has developed BN analogues of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) and poly(thiophene vinylene) (PTV), which show unique electronic and optical properties due to the inclusion of boron in the polymer backbone. These materials exhibit π-conjugation across B=N units, stimuli-responsive behavior, and potential applications in organic electronics, optoelectronics, and chemical sensing. Recent work on regioregular poly(p-phenylene iminoborane) demonstrates emission from locally excited or twisted intramolecular charge transfer states that can be addressed by various stimuli.

His group has published numerous high-impact papers in journals like Angewandte Chemie, Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Chemistry - A European Journal, with several publications highlighted as 'Very Important Papers' or featured on journal covers.

Scientific awards received by Prof. Helten include:

• Max-von-Laue award of the German Crystallographic Society (DGK) (2011)
• Sponsorship as a junior researcher within the FOCUS program of the Goethe-University Frankfurt (2009)
• Scholarships from the Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard foundation (2007, 2008)

Prof. Helten has supervised numerous PhD students to completion and continues to mentor bachelor's and master's students. His group is actively involved in teaching, offering courses such as 'Inorganic Materials' (Master) and 'Festkörperchemie' (Bachelor). He is also involved in professional service, including serving as an examiner for state examinations in chemistry in Bavaria and as a safety officer for the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry. The Helten Group also organizes significant events like the 20th European Workshop on Phosphorus Chemistry (EWPC).