Research Topics

Our group is working on different projects related to the physics of soft matter. We study organic materials which are prepared either by vacuum or solution based techniques. The general fields we work in are

Organic and Hybrid Thin Films

Subtopics:

Organic thin films consisting of small conjugated molecules show exciting electronic, optical, and structural properties which make them especially interesting for various device applications. Using organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD) in ultra-high vacuum we study fundamental aspects of the organic materials. To get an overview of this field, see also the introductory reading material.

Machine Learning and Data analysis

Subtopics:

Using todays computing power and software packages it has become possible to analyze large and multi-dimensional experimental scattering data. The process of converting these data into useful scientific information, however, can be challenging. Popular machine learning models, such as artificial neural networks, have recently shown significant advantages in terms of speed over other computational methods that are usually employed to extract the essential parameters of the investigated system, see also the introductory reading material.

Solid-liquid Interfaces, Nanoparticles, and Protein Adsorption

Subtopics:

The interactions at the solid-liquid interface are of fundamental importance in soft matter and biophysics. In particular the adsorption of proteins on functionalized surfaces (SAMs) is crucial for a number of applications such as bio-compatible implants. To get an overview of this field, see also the introductory reading material.

Charge-controlled Interactions of Proteins

Subtopics:

We apply quasi-elastic neutron scattering, X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy and complementary techniques to study the diffusion of proteins in aqueous solutions containing salts with different valency. This topic addresses very fundamental issues of protein dynamics in a context of biological function and is also relevant for the kinetics of protein crystallization. To get an overview of this field, see also the introductory reading material.