Research topics

Polymer Chemistry

The hunt for defined polymers is what defines the research topic Polymer Chemistry in our working group. A variety of functional polymers is synthesized via different controlled-radical or ionic polymerization techniques. Applications can be found in the bio-medical field (e.g. drug delivery systems) or in material-related areas (e.g. anti-biofouling).

polymerization on surfaces

The research field Polymerization on Surfaces is branched into different polymer-based surface modification methods. They differ concerning the starting material (e.g. self-assembled monolayers [SAMs] or carbon-based substrates) and the polymerization method itself (e.g. radical, living, controlled-radical). The aim is to synthesize polymer brushes directly on surfaces or use the grafting-to approach and anchor pre-synthesized polymers to the substrate. In both cases, fundamental properties of the substrate can be altered or new functionalties can be introduced to the surface.

Biomaterials

The research topic Biomaterials is located in the intersection between Polymer Chemistry and Polymerization on Surfaces. The focus is on synthesizing bioactive polymers and layers which can be utilized in cell-cultivation and further biology-related topcis. For example, protein adsorption and cell adhesion are precisely adjusted by changing the polymerization parameters to create tailor-made biomaterials.