X-mas hike 2010

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.

Collective orientational order of molecular liquids revealed by optical birefringence

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]).

Optical Switching - Movie

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.

Smectic and nematic order of 8OCB

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).

Thermotropic nematic order upon nano-capillary filling

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.

  1. Neutron Spin Echo study on confined liquids
  2. Three-stage disputation marathon
  3. Polymorphism of Nano-Alcohol
  4. Start of TemplDisco

Page 18 of 21

News

  • 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

  • 12.09.2024 Article "Deformation dynamics of nanopores upon water imbibition" published in PNAS

    Our article shows by a combination of experiments and computer simulations of water imbibition in nanopores that the competition between expansive, surface stress release at pore walls and negative, contractile Laplace pressures of nanoscale menisci lead to an unusual macroscopic behavior of the porous medium, which is generic for any liquid/nanoporous solid combination. The results allow one to quantify surface and Laplace stresses and to monitor nanoscale flow and infiltration states by relatively simple length measurements of the porous medium.

  • 17.05.2024 - New publication: "Self-Assembly of Ionic Superdiscs in Nanopores"

    Our study on discotic ionic liquid crystals has been published in ACS Nano - see also the DESY press release.

  • May 2024 - At this year's PSST conference in Brno (Czech Republic) Stella Gries received the prize for the talk of the day. Congratulations to her and also to Manfred May for the 2nd place in the best poster award of the conference!