Research

Research into new materials is crucial for the development of future energy conversion, storage and transport technologies to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and secure a more sustainable energy supply. Here we dedicate ourselves to various aspects of these technologies, including the development and recycling of new materials for solar cells and advanced battery storage or material synthesis according to bio-inspired approaches. We are also researching new catalysts for CO₂ conversion as well as photocatalysts and materials for fuel cells, which are crucial for the seasonal availability of renewable energy. In addition, mixed ion-electron transport is investigated in polymers, among other things, supported by modern in-situ methods.

The structure and function of biomolecules are defined by their chemical properties, which we aim to understand from the molecular level to complex biological systems. Through experimental and simulation-based investigations, we elucidate structure-function relationships of enzymes, nucleic acids, and lipids, as well as their interaction profiles. Based on the deciphered principles, we develop sustainable biocatalysts, new synthetic pathways, and active agents, as well as bioinspired functional materials. Additionally, through the application of sequencing and mass spectrometry-based omics techniques, we integrate the gained insights into the reactivity of biomolecules into a biomedical context, for example, to understand epigenome-based regulatory systems or the allergenic potential of food proteins.

Research into new functional materials is of central importance for many areas of everyday life. Faculty 3's research approach to such functional materials is based on an intensive, synergistic interplay between chemistry, materials science and simulation (see also the Cluster of Excellence “SimTech”). Stimuli-responsive materials are the basis for sensory and actuator systems and are therefore central to new materials and substances for the fields of construction and architecture (see Cluster of Excellence “Integrative computer-based planning and construction for architecture”) and for medical technology. This research focus therefore also contributes directly to the Cluster of Excellence application “Bionic Intelligence for Health”. Confinement effects, which are observed, for example, in catalytic reactions in tailor-made mesoporous inorganic or polymeric materials with defined conducting geometries, are also the central topic of the current CRC 1333 “Molecular heterogeneous catalysis in confined geometries”, which also builds a bridge to another research focus of Faculty 3 “Crossing Borders in Catalysis and Biocatalysis”. Soft matter materials and bio-inspired approaches are also used to realize hierarchically structured architectures with conducting properties and stimuli-responsive materials (see also “ChitinFluid” project, Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, CZS P2019-02-004).