The Vienna University of Technology and the Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics mourn the loss of former Prof. Dr. Gerhard Jangg, who passed away on 29.11.2023 at the age of 97.

Gerhard Jangg was born on 27.9.1927 in Villach. Like many of his generation, his schooling ended in 1944 with an emergency school-leaving certificate; immediately afterwards he was drafted into the German Wehrmacht and was taken prisoner of war in Italy. After his release, he studied technical chemistry at what was then the Vienna University of Technology and obtained his doctorate in 1954 with a dissertation on the viscosity of molten glass. He then worked as a university assistant on the topics of ore processing and, in particular, amalgam metallurgy. In 1965, he habilitated in the field of “Chemical technology of metals with special consideration of chemical ore processing and hydrometallurgy”. In 1971 he was appointed associate professor and head of the powder metallurgy department at the then Institute for Chemical Technology of Inorganic Materials. Gerhard Jangg retired at the end of 1992.

Gerhard Jangg found his calling in powder metallurgy, which had become established at the Institute with the appointment of Richard Kieffer, the former CEO of Plansee. He conducted research in the field of iron powder metallurgy and sintered steels; this also led to the Institute's cooperation with Miba Sintermetall AG - now Miba Sinter Austria GmbH - which has continued to this day, for more than 50 years. Another area in which Gerhard Jangg did pioneering work was dispersion strengthened materials for high-temperature applications, in addition to Cu-Al2O3, especially aluminum reinforced with Al4C3, which he invented and for which he developed the technique of reaction grinding. Later work focused on dispersion strengthened superalloys and platinum materials, also for applications under extreme conditions. All this research work was carried out in close cooperation with industry. Gerhard Jangg had a special feel for the needs of industry and also impressed upon his students “You must learn to think with the head of industry”. As a result, many of his students went on to work very successfully in industry.

Gerhard Jangg was an outstanding academic teacher who was himself an excellent formulator and also taught his offspring how to write clear and precise academic papers and publications. His motto was “a dissertation must read as excitingly as a crime novel”, and his publications and books still make interesting reading today. When it came to scientific results, he was a critical and tough discussion partner who did not hold back with his opinion, but who not only tolerated it, but even appreciated it if you could counter him just as clearly and well argued. However, he was also a boss who could be relied upon in any difficulty because he felt responsible for his students and always knew how best to help them.

Gerhard Jangg was particularly interested in maintaining contacts with researchers in the Eastern Bloc at the time, especially the GDR, CSSR and USSR. Despite the difficulties involved, he consistently maintained these contacts out of solidarity with his partners there, who produced outstanding research achievements under conditions that are difficult for us to imagine today, but for whom contacts with Western institutes were often a decisive help. This perseverance paid off with the fall of the Iron Curtain, as many of these collaborations still exist today. He was also happy to take on students from abroad, especially from the Middle East, for dissertations and theses, who have thanked him for this with intensive work and a bond that still exists to this day.

All those who had the privilege of working with Gerhard Jangg, whether from academia or industry, will keep him in honorable memory.

Herbert Danninger