Highlights – Institute for Materials and X-Ray Physics

11.5.2011

Gravimetric study on the capillarity-driven invasion dynamics of the rod-like liquid crystal octyloxycyanobiphenyl (8OCB) in mesoporous monolithic silica glass (Vycor) reveals the existence of a paranematic phase driven by the molecular alignment of the rods in the narrow pore structure (see article published as part of the special issue on nano- and microfluidics in Journal of Physics).

13.4.2011

Transition from van-der-Waals to hydrogen-bridge bonding dominated interaction upon physisorption on graphite reported in Physical Review Letters .

9.4.2011 Campus of Saarland University - Spring's Arrival

20.12.2010 Christmas & Spicy Wine Hike
on the Kirkeler Felsenpfad (Saarland)


We enjoyed a beautiful hike on the Kirkeler Felsenpfad. Press thumbnails to see more pictures of the trip or check Outings to see pictures from previous Christmas hikes.

December 2, 2010

High-resolution optical birefringence isotherms reveal collective orientational order in molecular liquids upon condensation in a monolithic, mesoporous silica membrane (see publication in Physical Review B [pdf]).

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News

06.10.2026 Multimodal synchrotron X-ray analysis of palm-leaf manuscripts

Combining synchrotron X-ray scattering and fluorescence with machine learning, we identified structural and compositional signatures in historical palm-leaf manuscripts that discriminate between botanical genera and reflect their processing. The non-destructive approach provides a material science basis for provenance studies, complementing codicological and historical evidence. See our publication in npj Heritage Science and the press release.
17.09.2026 A Tale of Two Waters: H₂O and D₂O Electrify Surfaces Differently

Hydrophobic nanoporous silicon acts as a single platform for comparing three solid–liquid triboelectrification regimes: immersion–emersion, droplet contact, and pressure-driven pore intrusion, with H₂O and D₂O highlighting isotope-dependent electrical responses. Rather than providing one simple mechanism, the study published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C opens new questions about the molecular origins of water–solid electrification—and shows how isotope substitution can help uncover them.

J. Phys. Chem. C (2026) 130 (36): 12748–12756.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.6c04134
05.06.2026 Water, Clay and Carbon: A New Route to Sustainable Energy Storage

🌎 Water, Clay and Carbon: A New Route to Sustainable Energy Storage - we demonstrate an all-water supercapacitor stable over 60,000 charging cycles.

💧⚡Can pure water store electrical energy? A research team within the Cluster of Excellence BlueMat – Water-Driven Materials has now shown that it can.

🔋 By confining water within nanometer-sized channels in clay minerals, the team developed a supercapacitor capable of efficiently storing and transporting electrical charge with remarkable stability.

💡 Read more in our latest press release ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dttmcBcQ

Publication:
Artemov, V. et al., All-water supercapacitor enabled by 1-nm clay channels, Nat Commun 17, 5014 (2026).

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-73924-1
23.04.2026 Lehmann Prize awarded to Patrick Huber

🏆 Congratulations to Patrick Huber on receiving the Volker Lehmann Prize for the most outstanding talk at the 2026 Porous Semiconductors Science and Technology Conference (PSST2026) in Naples, Italy.

💧 His presentation, “Nature’s Blueprint: Water-Enabled Functions in Hierarchically Porous Silicon,” showcased key research directions of the Cluster of Excellence BlueMat: Water-Driven Materials.

🏆 The Lehmann Prize honors Volker Lehmann, who—together with Leigh Canham and Ulrich Gösele - co-discovered the quantum confinement effect in silicon.
22.10.2025 Water as an energy carrier: nanoporous silicon generates electricity from friction with water

Exciting news! Our new publication in Nano Energy presents a novel way for converting mechanical energy into electricity – by harnessing water confined in nanometre-sized pores of silicon as the active working fluid (press release).