SFB 448:  Mesoscopically Organized Composites

• Subject Area: Chemistry ; Physics
• Term: from 1998 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5482335

This collaborative research centre explores new strategies for thesynthesis and characterization of chemical composites which arestructured on a length scale from 1 to 100 nanometers, i.e. well abovethe size of simple molecules but below the (macroscopic) sizes ofclassical composite materials. Such mesoscopically structured composite systems may exhibit novel properties and functions which result directly from the size of the compartments and/or the interactions between the individual structural units. The collaborative research centre aims at novel functional materialsof this type with controlled properties for potential applications.The building units of the nano-composites are obtained by stepwisechemical synthesis (e.g., functionalized dendrimers orpoly-paraphenylenes), by polymerization (amphiphilic and hybrid blockcopolymers, etc.), and by other methods. The building units areassembled in a hierarchical manner to the desired mesoscopic composites by applying the principles of supramolecular chemistry or making use of molecular self assembly or of electrostatic interactions between the partners. Block copolymers are also used as templates for the mineralization of inorganic salts and their micelles or lyotropic phases are used to direct the condensation of silica precursors to ordered polymer/ceramic nanocomposites and mesoporous ceramic materials. The novel mesoscopically structured composites can be used to study the physico-chemical behavior of substances or probe molecules in strongly confined geometries by means of modern experimental techniques as well as theoretical models and molecular simulation techniques.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Completed projects

• A01 - Synthese chemischer Module (Project Head Schlüter, Arnulf-Dieter )
• A2 - Elektronentransferreaktionen in Materialien mit Polaritätsgradienten (Project Heads Menzel, Ralf ;  Möhwald, Helmuth )
• A3 - Reaktive Membranlandschaften auf Kolloidteilchen und in mesoskopischen Micellen (Project Head Fuhrhop, Jürgen-Hinrich )
• A4 - Flüssigkristalline Filme und Filmverbundsysteme (Project Heads Fliegner, Daniela ;  Heppke, Gerd )
• A5 - Synthese und Untersuchung des Assoziationsverhaltens von neuen linearen und verzweigten amphiphilen Blockcopolymeren (Project Heads Antonietti, Markus ;  Schlaad, Helmut )
• A6 - Strukturtransformation von Blockcopolymer-Mizellen und Templat-Effekte bei der Entstehung von Silika-Mesophasen (Project Head Findenegg, Gerhard )
• A7 - Herstellung und Eigenschaften von Reaktivmembranen auf Basis von Polymer-Wirkstoff-Verbundsystemen (Project Heads Reichert, Karl-Heinz ;  Schomäcker, Reinhard )
• A8 - Biomimetische Mineralisation mit amphiphilen Blockcopolymeren (Project Head Cölfen, Helmut )
• A9 - Mesoskopisch stukturierte Farbstoff-, Farbstoff/Tensid- und Farbstoff/Polyelektrolyt-Aggregate (Project Heads Böttcher, Christoph ;  Kirstein, Stefan )
• A10 - Hierarchical architectures from modules with metallosupramolecular coordination polyelectrolytes (Project Heads Kurth, Dirk G. ;  Möhwald, Helmuth )
• A11 - Manipulation of stiff macromolecules on solid surfaces (Project Head Rabe, Jürgen P. )
• A12 - Strukturbildung und Dynamik in selbstorganisierenden Blockcopolymer-Tensid Mischsystemen (Project Heads Hellweg, Thomas ;  Schlaad, Helmut )
• A13 - Morphology and Dynamics of Semiflexible Polymers at Surfaces (Project Heads Kierfeld, Jan ;  Lipowsky, Reinhard )
• A14 - Synthese molekularer Objekte mit neuer Architektur und deren hierarchische Strukturbildung (Project Heads Antonietti, Markus ;  Hecht, Stefan )
• A15 - Modular Synthesis and Characterization of pH-Cleavable Precision Polymers for the Formation of Rigid siRNA-Polyamine-Complexes (Project Head Haag, Rainer )
• A16 - Interaction of rod-like siRNA(DNA)-polycation-complexes with vesicular model membranes (Project Head Gradzielski, Michael )
• A17 - Self-organization of Amphiphilic Graft-Block-Copolymer Hybrids in Solution and at Surfaces (Project Heads Laschewsky, André ;  Lutz, Jean-François )
• B01 - Phase Transitions and Self-Assembly in Mesopores (Project Head Findenegg, Gerhard )
• B02 - Characterization of the structure and dynamics of mesoporous host-guestmaterials using solid state NMR techniques (Project Heads Buntkowsky, Gerd ;  Limbach, Hans-Heinrich ;  Shenderovich, Ilya G. )
• B3 - Mehr-Schritt-Elektron-Transfer in Farbstoff-Dendrimer-Gerüsten (Project Head Rettig, Wolfgang )
• B5 - Formstabile Makromoleküle auf Festkörperoberflächen (Project Head Rabe, Jürgen P. )
• B06 - Equilibrium properties of complex fluids in confined geometries (Project Head Klapp, Sabine )
• B7 - Wechselwirkung von Nanopartikeln und Membranen (Project Heads Döbereiner, Ph.D., Hans-Günther ;  Lipowsky, Reinhard )
• B10 - Influence of geometrical restrictions and interface modifications on structure formation of colloidal dispersions in thin liquid films (Project Head von Klitzing, Regine )
• B11 - The impact of substrate deformation on equilibrium properties of pure confined fluids (Project Head Schoen, Martin )
• B14 - Wall deformation in mesoporous materials during capillary condensation of fluids (Project Heads Fratzl, Peter ;  Paris, Oskar )
• C01 - Molecular processes in mesoscopically structured polyelectrolyte systems (Project Heads Hildebrandt, Peter ;  Möhwald, Helmuth )
• C02 - Immobile Wasservolumen, photoaktive Heterodimere, chirale Fasern und leitfähige Porphyrin-Polymere in Membranlandschaften (Project Head Fuhrhop, Jürgen-Hinrich )
• C03 - Mehr-Schritt-Elektron-Transfer in Farbstoff-Dendrimer-Gerüsten (Project Head Rettig, Wolfgang )
• C04 - Organic-inorganic semiconductor nanostructures: Investigation of energytransfer processes and nonlinear optical properties. (Project Heads Blumstengel, Sylke ;  Henneberger, Fritz )
• C05 - Nanoscale phase-separated organic/organic heterostructures in thin films (Project Heads Koch, Norbert ;  Rabe, Jürgen P. )
• C06 - Photo-induced growth of hybrid structures of dye aggregates and metal nanoparticles (Project Heads Böttcher, Christoph ;  Kirstein, Stefan )
• C07 - Elektronentransferreaktionen in Materialien mit Polaritätsgradient (Project Heads Möhwald, Helmuth ;  Spitz, Christian )
• C08 - Light harvesting with artificial hybride structures (Project Head Benson, Oliver )
• YE1 - Mehrschritt-Elektrontransfer in Farbstoff-Dendrimer-Gerüsten (Project Head Rettig, Wolfgang )
• YE2 - Molekulare Ordnung auf mesoskopisch strukturierten Festkörperoberflächen (Project Head Rabe, Jürgen P. )
• YE3 - Mesoskopisch strukturierte Oberflächen von Blockcopolymeren und Flüssigkristallen (Project Head Rabe, Jürgen P. )
• YE4 - Materialien mit Polaritätsgradienten (Project Heads Menzel, Ralf ;  Möhwald, Helmuth )
• YE5 - Synthese neuer amphiphiler Blockcopolymere und ihre Nutzung für Kolloid/Polymer-Verbundsysteme (Project Heads Antonietti, Markus ;  Förster, Stephan )
• YE6 - Templateffekte amphiphiler Polymere beim Wachstum anorganischer Funktionskolloide (Project Heads Antonietti, Markus ;  Cölfen, Helmut )
• YE7 - Keimbildung und Wachstum in begrenzten Geometrien (Project Heads Gompper, Gerhard ;  Lipowsky, Reinhard )
• Z - Central Administration (Project Heads Rabe, Jürgen P. ;  Schoen, Martin )

• Applicant Institution: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• Participating University: Freie Universität Berlin; Technische Universität Berlin; Universität Potsdam
• Participating Institution: Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Polymerforschung (IAP); Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung; Wissenschaftspark Potsdam-Golm
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Jürgen P. Rabe