The mission of our sustainable materials group FS-SMA is to develop functionalised polymeric materials on bio-basis. Our research is embedded in the larger framework of sustainability.
This comprises renewable materials themselves, enabling greener processes, energy harvesting, applying the principles of green chemistry as well as machine learning. Our focus hereby is
to contribute to a circular bioeconomy! Current examples include novel hybrid materials for optoelectronic applications based on advanced bio-derived core-shell colloids, flexible solar
cells and thermoelectrics. It extends to advanced biosensors based on (bio)polymer-inorganic colloid hybrid materials and lithographic applications.
Self-assembly plays a crucial role in nanostructuring.
Therefore, we are focusing on X-ray and neutron scattering at large scale facilities to establish the nanostructure-function relationship of these hybrid materials in
real-time by so-called in-situ and operando experiments. The range of deposition methods for such thin films ranges from spray coating of liquid solutions to vacuum deposition on various metallic and organic films.
Thus, our three research pillars are:
1) Functional, colloidal and multiscale materials by layer-by-layer coating
2) Renewable, sustainable materials for flexible electronics
3) Complex, hybrid, locally anisotropic materials