Department of Material Synthesis and Reactivity

Plastics and polymers are essential to modern life, but their environmental footprint poses a significant challenge. Our department is dedicated to solving these problems through innovative solutions that combine functionality with sustainability. Whether it's creating advanced materials for medical breakthroughs or developing recyclable products from waste, our research is driven by the vision of a cleaner, healthier future for all.

Material synthesis

Automated Robotic Synthesis of Degradable Polymers

Our team applies fully automated, robot-assisted synthesis of degradable polymers designed e.g., for biomedical applications. By means of advanced robotics, we can precisely control and study how polymer structures influence their properties. Understanding these "structure-property relationships" allows us to develop materials tailored for specific medical needs, such as delivery systems, tissue engineering, and implants.

Transforming Non-Degradable Polymers into Biodegradable Materials

Non-degradable plastics like polystyrene contribute significantly to global waste problems. Our researchers are working to embed cleavable groups into polymer backbones, enabling their breakdown under specific conditions. This work offers a pathway to more sustainable materials without compromising their performance.

Upcycling Biomass Waste for a Circular Economy

We’re turning waste into value by transforming biomass waste products, such as spent coffee grounds and lignin, into high-quality materials. We upcycle these waste streams into feedstocks for additive manufacturing (3D printing). The resulting products are fully recyclable, preventing the generation of new waste and promoting a circular economy. This approach not only reduces environmental impact but also demonstrates the potential of sustainable material solutions.

Use of microorganism biodiversity in a circular bioeconomy strategy

Valorizing organic residues through microbial biosynthesis of polymers presents an opportunity to close loops in the bioeconomy. Our research focuses on microorganisms capable of producing biopolymers like PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates) and PLA (Polylactic Acid), exploring their ability to utilize organic residues as a cost-effective feedstock, reducing waste, and creating valuable products.
To address plastic pollution, we are also investigating the biodegradation potential of microorganisms on polymers such as PET, PS, and PLA composites. This includes evaluating the effectiveness of in vitro methods to reliably assess how these microorganisms degrade polymers, offering promising solutions to mitigate plastic waste.

Reactivity

The Reactivity department produces inorganic films in the nanometer range, i.e. artificial single and multiple layers that are deposited using magnetron sputtering. Our thin films are of interest both for research in thermophotovoltaics and photo-electrochemistry and for technological applications as X-ray mirrors in experiments at state-of-the-art X-ray sources, e.g. European XFEL/Germany and Swiss FEL/Switzerland.

The sputtering laboratory at Hereon's headquarters in Geesthacht has two facilities manufactured in-house:
• a versatile UHV chamber for cm-scale samples [Ø 60 cm] and
• a 4.5 m long system for coating substrates up to 1.5 m long.

The scientific challenges for layer development consist of achieving the following goals:

research and development of high-temperature stable layer structures such as selective emitters for thermophotovoltaics,
synthesis of sophisticated material combinations with different morphologies for photoelectrochemistry,
fabrication of ultra-precise coatings with a layer thickness variation of less than 1 nanometer up to a length of 1.5 m,
understanding of physical transformations and chemical reactions in thin films at high and highest temperatures from room temperature to 2000 °C and in different environments,
deep investigations of the nucleation and growth of thin films to obtain long-term stable layer structures,
customized modifications of the layers in terms of microstructure, phase, structure, texture, grain sizes and composition to adapt the films to their physical and chemical requirements for technological use.