Highlights – Institute for Materials and X-Ray Physics

October 21, 2010

Short video on optical switching in a porous silica matrix.
Press this link in order to see the same phenomenology for porous alumina!

For more information on the physics of the process, see the following article - pdf.

October 12, 2010

Optical birefringence study on the phase transition behavior of a rod-like liquid crystal (8OCB), confined in silica channels, published in Applied Physics Letters (pdf).

5.4.2013 Thermotropic nematic order upon nano-capillary filling

Our study on the optical birefringence and light absorption of silica nanochannels filled by a rod-like liquid crystal (published in Physical Review E (pdf)) documents that the thermo-optical properties of nanoporous systems (or single nano-capillaries) can be tailored over a surprisingly wide range simply by variation of the the filling fraction with liquid crystals.

September/October 2010

Neutron spin echo studies on the dynamics of polymers and alkanes confined in silicon nanochannels (published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters and in Macromolecules) indicate sticky boundary layers and anisotropic self-diffusion dynamics.

19./21./23.07.2010

Patrick mastered a three-stage disputation marathon within one week - Matthias and Simon successfully finished their PhD!

from left to right: Matthias Wolff, René Berwanger, and Simon Gruener Matthias Wolff, René Berwanger, and Simon Gruener (f.l.t.r.) proudly present their mortarboards from their PhD graduation. Congratulations!

Theses and disputation talks are available online!

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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).