Chiral Phases of a Confined Cholesteric Liquid Crystal: Anchoring-Dependent Helical and Smectic Self-Assembly in Nanochannels

24.5.2016 Chiral Phases of a Confined Cholesteric Liquid Crystal: Anchoring-Dependent Helical and Smectic Self-Assembly in Nanochannels was published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

 

Minisymposium on "Fluids in Nanoporous Media"

10.5.2016 Minisymposium on "Fluids in Nanoporous Media" in Cincinnati (Ohio, USA)

Pictures of the symposium jointly organized by Gennady Gor and Patrick Huber at the 8th International Conference on Porous Media (InterPore - International Society for Porous Media) can be found here.

 

 

Formation of Periodically Arranged Nanobubbles in Mesopores

4.3.2016 Formation of Periodically Arranged Nanobubbles in Mesopores: Capillary Bridge Formation and Cavitation during Sorption and Solidification in an Hierarchical Porous SBA-15 Matrix, published in Langmuir.

 

Hydraulic transport across hydrophilic and hydrophobic nanopores: Flow experiments with water and n-hexane

4.1.2016 Our study "Hydraulic transport across hydrophilic and hydrophobic nanopores: Flow experiments with water and n-hexane" has been published in Physical Review E.

 

pH-Dependent Selective Protein Adsorption into Mesoporous Silica

10.11.2015 Study on pH-Dependent Selective Protein Adsorption into Mesoporous Silica published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

 

  1. Capillary rise dynamics of liquid hydrocarbons in mesoporous silica as explored by gravimetry, optical and neutron imaging
  2. 26.9.2015 Photowalk at Deutsche Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg (Germany)
  3. Elastic Response of Mesoporous Silicon to Capillary Pressures in the Pores
  4. Invited Topical Review on Soft Matter in Hard Confinement

Page 12 of 22

News

  • 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).

  • 29.09.2025 Colossal Effect of Nanopore Surface Ionic Charge on the Dynamics of Confined Water

    In a recent publication, we report a particularly rewarding result from a French-German collaboration linking Hamburg, Rennes, Grenoble and Paris, with key neutron scattering experiments carried out at the high-flux neutron reactor of the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France. 

    We show that water behaves very differently when confined to tiny nanopores—and that surface charge makes all the difference. Adding ionic charges to pore walls dramatically slows down water motion, not just in the vicinity of the pore wall but throughout the entire pore. This long-range control goes far beyond simple wetting effects and highlights surface charge as a powerful tool for using water as a nanoscale working fluid in water-driven materials, membranes, and nanotechnologies.

  • 09.09.2025 When symmetry breaks in tiny spaces

    Nanopores unlock hidden chirality in exotic liquid crystals – with the observation now made by us within an international cooperation with Ukraine, France and Poland, they might find even wider usage in energy storage or conversion or tunable lenses (see press release).

  • 22.05.2025 Cluster of Excellence "BlueMat: Water-driven materials" approved

    BlueMat has been awarded funding through the Cluster of Excellence program (ExStra)!

    The application process was challenging: out of a total of 143 draft proposals for new clusters of excellence, only 41 were invited to submit a full proposal. In this second round, the new applications competed with the 57 already established clusters. Of a total of 98 applications submitted, only 70 were approved. The Cluster of Excellence will initially be funded for seven years until 2033.

    We would like to thank all of our partners for their hard work. The whole team is energized and eager to begin bringing our vision to life. Stay tuned for updates as we embark on this exciting journey!

  • 26.02.2025 Centre for Molecular Water Science (CMWS) inaugurated

    The DESY-initiated CMWS is a Europe-wide research network in the field of molecular water research. The CMWS declaration has been signed by forty-seven founding members from twelve countries – including fourteen German universities and eight Helmholtz Centres. See also the corresponding press release.