Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research

Understanding how short-circuits occur in solid-state batteries could extend their lifespan
 

On October 25, 2022 the winners of the Synergy Grants of the European Research Council (ERC) 2022 were announced

Self-assembling molecules could help in cancer therapy

Choosing the right proteins can improve the mouthfeel of vegetarian sausages

A combination of organic materials and electronics could open up new possibilities for unconventional future computing systems
 

It is such a common sight that it seems downright banal: at some point, almost everyone has likely watched raindrops run down a windowpane. So, it may come as a surprise that there is still fundamental scientific knowledge to be uncovered about how drops travel over surfaces. Research on drops is precisely what a team from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research has succeeded in doing – and they’ve opened up surprising potential applications in the process.

Crispy jellyfish, milk mayo, and crackling vegan sausage – just a few of the specialties from the laboratory of Thomas A. Vilgis. The research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz approaches cooking with scientific precision and has thus found the perfect synthesis of his two passions.

Germany's objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045 will require a massive expansion of solar energy and improved photovoltaic modules. New materials such as perovskites promise to deliver more cost-effective and more efficient solar arrays. To pave the way for their development, Stefan Weber and Rüdiger Berger of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz are clarifying the processes that take place inside perovskite solar cells.

Numbness, immobility and, in the worst case, paraplegia - the severing of a nerve pathway - often has permanent consequences. This is because the extracellular matrix, which provides support for the neurons, is also damaged during the injury. Tanja Weil and Christopher Synatschke, who work at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, are looking for a replacement for this support material. And they have already made an important find.

Katharina Landfester, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, has opened the door to numerous applications. She has developed a technology whereby tiny containers can be specifically manufactured for almost any substance and equipped with various functions. Her team is now working on using nanocapsules as transporters for pharmaceuticals, as medical sensors, or as fungus treatments in wine production.

The separation of different substances requires a large proportion of the world's energy. In an innovative approach, my research group is trying to realize highly energy-efficient possibilities by using quantum effects. The discovery of "quantum friction" between liquids and the walls of channels enables the precise control of liquid flows on a nanoscale by influencing the electrons in the channel walls. This mechanism could significantly improve separation processes in the future.

Drugs undergo a complex testing procedure before they are used. This process often involves tests on animals. Among other things, it is important to know how drugs can pass through the cell walls of the intestine into the blood. In order to be able to simulate this process in laboratory experiments, we have developed a transistor based on organic materials. With this transistor, the permeability of cell layers can be measured by measuring ionic currents in our experimental setup.

The production of hydrogen or the generation of energy from molecular hydrogen could be important processes in future energy storage systems, such as those already used in hydrogen-powered cars. At the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research we have taken a closer look at the processes taking place on molecular length scales and thus gained fundamental insights into the chemical reactions at electrodes.

Injuries resulting from severed nerve tracts are difficult to treat sometimes requiring complex operations. We have asked ourselves: Would it be possible to stimulate nerve cells to grow using tailor-made materials? This would help the cells to close a gap in theinjured nerve. In the laboratory, we have produced an artificial material that may solve this problem and provide an alternative to surgery in the future.

The fungal disease Esca affects vines and leads to the dying of the plants. The infection may also happen years before the first external indications are observed, therefore an early treatment is nearly impossible. This causes a yearly damage of over one billion Euros worldwide. During our research we developed a treatment method based on nanotechnology that fights the fungus in the inside of the vine.