Post by Marcel Bastian

After a long journey marked by both triumphs and setbacks, joy and frustration, determination and procrastination, I have finally reached this milestone. I have successfully defended my dissertation and can now officially call myself a Doctor of Natural Sciences. My sincere gratitude goes to my reviewers and advisors, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Peter Quirmbach of the Universität Koblenz and Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Olaf Krause of the Hochschule Koblenz (Koblenz University of Applied Sciences), for their guidance and support throughout this journey. I would also like to thank the supporting companies and institutes — PURMETALL GmbH & Co. KG, Almatis, Nabaltec AG and especially Forschungsgemeinschaft Feuerfest e. V. - FGF  — for their valuable contributions. Above all, I am deeply grateful to the people around me — my friends, family, and colleagues — who supported and encouraged me along the way. Because of you, hopelessness became motivation, helplessness became growth, and stagnation became progress. This experience has taught me that although some paths must ultimately be walked alone, having the right people by your side makes all the difference.