Brief résumé

Dr. Dharma Teja Teppala is a materials scientist specializing in the precursor-based synthesis and advanced structural characterization of compositionally complex ceramics. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli (Tiruchirappalli, India) and his master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (Chennai, India). During his master’s research which was performed at TU Darmstadt (Darmstadt, Germany), he investigated cobalt-modified polymer-derived silicon carbide monoliths for thermoelectric applications. 

He subsequently completed his doctorate in Materials Science at TU Darmstadt, where he developed organometallic and non-oxide sol–gel routes towards compositionally complex nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides and oxides. His work combined sustainable synthesis methods with X-ray diffraction, Rietveld refinement, pair-distribution-function analysis, spectroscopy and electron microscopy to elucidate local structure, lattice distortion, phase formation and structure–property relationships. Dharma has contributed to several peer-reviewed publications on compositionally complex spinels and refractory ceramics, including pioneering precursor-derived nitrides and carbonitrides. 

Research at TU Wien

PostDoc project “Compositional Complexity as a Key Enabler of Sustainable Functional Materials and the Circular Economy”

At TU Wien, Dharma explores how compositional complexity can be transformed from a scientific concept into a powerful materials-design strategy. His research aims to develop next-generation inorganic materials for energy-related applications, including electrocatalysis, energy conversion and energy storage.

By systematically varying elemental combinations, local coordination environments and structural disorder, he explores relationships between composition, structure and functional performance.

A complementary focus is the circular economy: compositionally flexible materials may tolerate heterogeneous secondary raw-material streams, reduce dependence on critical elements and enable complex resources to be converted into high-value functional materials. In this way, Dharma’s work connects fundamental materials chemistry with some of today’s most pressing technological and sustainability challenges.