26.9.2015 Photowalk at Deutsche Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg (Germany)

26.9.2015 PhotoWalk at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

Pictures can be found here.

Elastic Response of Mesoporous Silicon to Capillary Pressures in the Pores

29.6.2015 Study on the elastic response of mesoporous silicon upon capillary condensation of water published in Applied Physics Letters.

 

Invited Topical Review on Soft Matter in Hard Confinement

13.2.2015 Topical review on "Soft matter in hard confinement: phase transition thermodynamics, structure, texture, diffusion and flow in nanoporous media" published in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.

 

Switchable imbibition in nanoporous gold

1.7.2014 Study on Switchable imbibition in nanoporous gold has been published in Nature Communications and featured as Nanotechnology Spotlight by nanowerk (in English and German) and as article "Kapillarwirkung auf Knopfdruck" by Spektrum der Wissenschaft (in German). The press release by Hamburg University of Technology can be found here.

The capillarity-driven uptake of liquids by porous solids can be experienced in daily life, e.g., when a sponge imbibes water. Here, we demonstrate that this process can be switched on and off reversibly when nanoporous gold takes the role of the sponge and an electric potential is used to control the surface tension.

Towards bio-silicon interfaces with chitosan

9.9.2014 Towards bio-silicon interfaces: Formation of an ultra-thin self-hydrated artificial membrane composed of dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and chitosan deposited in high vacuum from the gas-phase (pdf), published in the Journal of Chemical Physics - see also the press release of the American Institute of Physics.

 

Organic and inorganic materials grouped together to bridge the gap between biology and physics.

Credit: S.E.Gutierrez-Maldonado/FCV

  1. Flow-induced pattern formation in organic thin films
  2. Paranematic-to-nematic ordering in porous silicon and silica
  3. X-mas trip to ChocoVersum (Hamburg)
  4. SFB Workshop 2015

Page 13 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).

  • 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.

  • 18.11.2024 Ultrafast X-ray imaging at the European XFEL of a water droplet sucked into a porous silicon membrane by capillary action