Evaluation Report Publications of the Academy of Finland 1/11

3.4  Inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry and radiochemistry
The role of chemistry in understanding, transforming and utilising matter leads 
inorganic chemistry to contribute to an ever widening variety of fields from, for 
example, the role of metals in enzymes and organic transformations, through the 
traditional study of the chemistry of the elements, to the increasingly important 
synthesis of new functional materials. The seven units that come under the headings 
of inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry and radiochemistry have focused their 
efforts strategically on particular fields under this broad umbrella.
The quality of the research is overall excellent, with some groups demonstrating 
significant international impact. The necessary synthetic skills are very strong. The 
development of atomic layer deposition (ALD) in Finland has given inorganic 
research a boost, which has been exploited both in fundamental research and in 
collaboration with industry. The area of nanoparticles and their functionality is of 
increasing interest. Molecular inorganic chemistry is of excellent quality, but the 
efforts are more dispersed and a coherent national strategy is needed to strengthen 
this key area. Though the fundamental nature of the research is apparent, there is a 
strong desire to make the outcomes relevant to a broad range of environmental 
concerns.
The wide range of research areas needs to be sustained by a variety of expensive 
instrumentation. Most units were very satisfied with the facilities available to them. In 
the molecular field, instrumentation was largely shared with organic groups in a 
cooperative manner. The shared facilities for material characterisation at ÅA and 
UTU have been particularly successful. Nevertheless, there is widespread concern as 
to whether future funding levels can maintain the quality of vital instrumentation.
The experimental research is complemented throughout by computational and 
modelling work. This is either carried out within the groups or by collaboration with 
dedicated theoretical groups. The predicted relation of structure and function is of 
considerable value in guiding synthesis.
In general, the quality of the research in these areas is of a very high standard and 
the current directions should continue to be pursued. The formation of a national 
collaboration coordinating the inorganic and materials contribution to energy 
research is a desirable future direction.