Capillary Condensation and Crystallisation of Nitrogen in SBA-15

6.2.2012 Capillary Condensation and Crystallization of Nitrogen in an Ordered Mesoporous Silica (SBA-15)

Sorption and calorimetric study on capillary condensation, freezing and melting of nitrogen in mesoporous silica published in Physical Review B (pdf).

SoftMatControl Poznan (Poland)

27.2. - 9.3.2012 SoftMatControl, Poznan (Poland)



The international school “SoftMatControl” is a European ERASMUS Intensive Programme proposed by the universities of Rennes 1, Poznan and Saarbrücken. It offers a unique opportunity to European master and young PhD students in physics to gain exclusive skills in the understanding of out-of-equilibrium phenomena, by mastering control parameters of complexity in soft and molecular materials.
 
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SoftMatControl Rennes (France)

4.2. - 14.2.2013 SoftMatControl, Rennes (France)



The international school “SoftMatControl” is a European ERASMUS Intensive Programme proposed by the universities of Rennes 1, Poznan and Saarbrücken. It offers a unique opportunity to European master and young PhD students in physics to gain exclusive skills in the understanding of out-of-equilibrium phenomena, by mastering control parameters of complexity in soft and molecular materials.
 
 

Quasi-elastic neutron scattering on bulk and confined hexane

26.3.2012 Self-Diffusion Dynamics of Liquid Hexane in the Bulk State and in Nanoconfinement.

Quasi-elastic neutron scattering study on the self-diffusion dynamics of liquid hexane in the bulk state and confined in nanochannels of porous silicon published in the Journal of Chemical Physics (pdf).

Imbibition Front Broadening in Mesoporous Vycor Glass

26.6.2012 Study on the front broadening during water imbibition in nanoporous glass (Vycor) published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS 109, 10245 (2012).

 

  1. Confinement effects in rod-like LCs
  2. Imbibition of water and a liquid crystal in nanoporous silica
  3. nPropanolGraphitePRL
  4. Spring2011

Page 17 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.