Development and Modus Operandi relating Surface Structure and Ion Complexation Modeling for Important Metal (Hydr)oxides

It is said that Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958) stated that if God made materials, surfaces were the work of the Devil. The complexity of surfaces remains elusive despite all the tools that surface scientists, geochemists, environmental scientists, and colloid chemists have at their disposal. Simultaneously, it is even more amazing how scientists, who did not have the possibilities of today, have been drawing valid conclusions by developing theories and models that still make sense. One might wonder what they would be capable of nowadays if given time and patience to dig deep and focus.