Department In Situ and Operando Characterization

In this department, our researchers focus on the implementation of innovative and state-of-the-art methods for the characterization of materials and in the development of multidimensional models for correlative characterization of material properties and functions. Our methods include atomic force microscopy (AFM), electrochemical AFM/conductive AFM, in situ/in operando electron microscopy, neutron and synchrotron characterization, advanced chromatography and mass spectrometry, and NMR characterization.

The development of sustainable functional materials for applications e.g. in renewable energy, circular plastic economy, biomedicine, and biotechnology requires not only the precise synthesis and processing of such materials but also the exact characterization of their molecular structures and/or nanostructures. Thus, the advanced characterization of sustainable functional materials is the key task of the department ‘In Situ and Operando Characterization’. The department currently focuses on the study of structure-property relations of (photo)electrochemical and polymeric systems to understand functionality, stability, degradation, and upcycling.

The understanding of structure-property relations on the nano-, micro- and mesoscale is essential for optimizing materials such as catalysts for renewable energy or polymeric structures for a variety of applications. To meet these goals, different electron (transmission, scanning, environmental scanning), atomic force, and light microscopes are available. Furthermore, a broad range of sample preparation techniques can be used. The microscopic analysis can be complemented by microCT to investigate objects with sizes of up to 20 cm in diameter. Interfacial characteristics are of high relevance for tailoring material properties. Interfacial analysis and contact angle measurements are carried out with a force tensiometer and a drop shape analyzer.

In addition, an extensive set of analytic tools is available to characterize reaction products as well as the complex structure of tailor-made sustainable polymers.

Spectroscopic methods (FTIR, NMR, mass spectrometry), fractionation methods such as GPC (gel permeation chromatography), and HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) are available. We also specialized in coupled and advanced multidimensional methods, which are specifically usefulfor characterization of polymeric systems.For example, the simultaneous analysis of the chemical composition and molar mass distributions is obtained by comprehensive (coupled) two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC). By coupling GPC/HPLC with spectroscopic methods, distributions in branching and functional groups can be obtained.

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