Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces Research
| Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces Research | |
|---|---|
| Category: | research Institute |
| Carrier: | Max Planck Society |
| Legal form of the carrier: | Registered association |
| Seat of the wearer: | Munich |
| Facility location: | Potsdam |
| Type of research: | Basic research |
| Subjects: | Natural sciences |
| Areas of expertise: | Physical chemistry , materials science , biophysics |
| Basic funding: | Federal government (50%), states (50%) |
| Management: | Markus Antonietti (Managing Director 2017-2018) |
| Employee: | approx. 350 |
| Homepage: | www.mpikg.mpg.de |
The Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces Research (MPIKG) is a non-university research facility sponsored by the Max Planck Society (MPG) and is based in Potsdam . The institute primarily conducts basic research in the natural sciences in the areas of physical chemistry , materials science and biophysics .
history
The origins of the institute go back to institutes of the former Academy of Sciences of the GDR . On January 1, 1992, the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces was founded as the successor to the Institutes for Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry in Berlin-Adlershof and for Polymer Chemistry in Teltow . On October 1, 1993 and November 1, 1993, the founding directors Markus Antonietti , Reinhard Lipowsky and Helmuth Möhwald took over the management of the institute. This resulted in the preliminary structure with the departments “Interfaces” (H. Möhwald), “Colloid chemistry” (M. Antonietti) and “Theory” (R. Lipowsky). The acquisition of scientists from the former GDR has resulted in close contacts to Eastern Europe and Russia to this day. A larger number of employees came to Berlin and Teltow with the founding directors from Jülich, Mainz and Marburg. In April 1999 the company moved to the new building in what was then Golm near Potsdam. On February 1, 2003, the fourth department headed by Peter Fratzl was able to start work. The chemist Peter Seeberger has been an additional director at the institute since mid-2008 .
research
Tiny apatite crystals in the bones, vesicles that are formed from membranes, but also pores in membranes for fuel cells or microcapsules as vehicles for drugs - they all form structures that are larger than an atom but too small for the naked eye. The scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces Research and create such nano and microstructures. These are often colloids - tiny particles in a different medium - or interfaces between two substances. Many of these structures can be found in nature. The Potsdam researchers want to understand their structure and function in order to subsequently imitate them in new materials or in vaccines. Or to identify the causes of certain diseases that occur when the membrane folding or the transport of substances in cells do not function properly.
The Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces was founded in 1992. It is managed collegially and is divided into the departments Biomaterials, Biomolecular Systems, Interfaces, Colloid Chemistry and Theory & Bio-Systems. Current research focuses are polymer films, membranes, organic and inorganic nanostructures, microcapsules, biomineralization, nano and microreactors, molecular motors and filaments, as well as the chemistry and biology of carbohydrates.
Biomimetic systems are the focus of the scientific work. Building on models from nature, new hierarchical materials and active systems are explored, which can be adaptive, self-healing or self-assembling.
The departments of the institute:
- Biomaterials (Director: Peter Fratzl)
The "Biomaterials" department investigates the construction principle of natural materials that nature has produced in the course of evolution. The main focus - in two working groups - is on the one hand on mineralized tissues (such as bones, teeth or mussel shells) and on the other hand on plants and their cell walls. The focus of interest is on the extraordinary mechanical properties of these natural materials, which adapt to constantly changing external conditions. The principles of these adaptation processes are being researched in a further working group using physical approaches and computer modeling. To determine the hierarchical structure of biological materials, from the molecular level to the entire organ, special techniques are required, some of which still have to be developed. The use of synchrotron radiation plays a central role here. The knowledge gained in this way about the relationship between material properties and structure is used for the biomimetic conception and development of new materials. In some cases it is also possible to use natural structures - such as B. the pore arrangement in wood - to "copy" directly into technical materials such as ceramics. The processes for producing such biotemplate are being investigated in a further working group. After all, research into the structure and risk of fracture of the bone and its disease-related changes is an important medical issue that is being worked on intensively in collaboration with doctors.
- Biomolecular Systems (Director: Peter H. Seeberger)
The scientists in the “Biomolecular Systems” department use new methods for the synthesis of sugar chains. For a long time, the many naturally occurring sugars were only known as molecules that supply the organism with energy in the form of sucrose (household sugar) or starch and are stored by the plants as energy stores. The sugar molecules, which are sometimes very complex and belong to the substance class of carbohydrates, are, however, also involved in many biological processes. They cover all cells in the human body and play a crucial role in the molecular recognition of cell surfaces and thus in infections, immune reactions and cancer metastases. Complex sugars are ubiquitous as cell coatings in nature and can therefore also be used in vaccine development, e.g. B. against malaria. They are therefore of great medical interest; It was only in the last 20 years or so that the great importance of sugar residues on the surfaces of cells for biology and medicine was recognized.
Until recently, there was no chemical synthesis method to produce biologically relevant carbohydrates with a known structure in larger quantities and thus make them available for biological, pharmaceutical and medical research. This gap has now been closed and the first automated synthesis apparatus has been developed to link sugar molecules with other sugars or molecules. With the automated synthesis of carbohydrates, the prerequisites for the further and new development of sugar-based drugs and vaccines were created. The medical possibilities that this technology opens up are hard to overlook: One of the first results was a full synthesis of the malaria toxin - this should lead to a vaccine against malaria, which continues to claim more than two million victims worldwide every year.
- Colloid Chemistry (Director: Markus Antonietti)
The Colloid Chemistry department deals with the synthesis of various colloidal structures in the nanometer range. This includes inorganic and metallic nanoparticles, polymeric and peptide building blocks, their micelles and organized phases, but also emulsions and foams. Colloid chemistry is able to generate materials with a structural hierarchy through suitable functionalized colloids. This creates new properties through the "teamwork" of the functional groups. With a suitable architecture, these colloids with a chemical structure can perform very specific tasks. Molecular systems cannot do this because of their complexity. The skin is an example of this: there is no plastic that is so soft and at the same time so tear-resistant and yet largely consists of water. Here, too, the secret lies in the interaction of three components (collagen, hyaluronic acid, proteoglycan). The unusual combination of properties is only achieved through the formation of a superstructure “in a team”. Photo-induced molecular processes are the focus of the Colloid Chemistry department. The biggest challenge for the photo-induced splitting of water is to find suitable catalysts. A new synthetic polymer-based catalyst was presented recently and is now being further developed and optimized. The scientists working with Markus Antonietti are on the way to developing enzyme-like nanocatalysts and artificial photosynthesis, thus setting a milestone for green energy generation. Another research result is the production of carbon from biomass ( hydrothermal carbonization ).
- Theory and Bio-Systems (Director: Reinhard Lipowsky)
In the "Theory and Bio-Systems" department, the structure and dynamics of molecular assemblies and other nanostructures in biological and biomimetic systems are investigated. These systems are made up of different molecular building blocks that come together "by themselves". In this way, groups of molecules are created, which in turn build up even larger structures and networks. These complex processes are hidden dimensions of self-organization because they can only be observed directly to a limited extent.
Current research focuses on molecular recognition, energy conversion and transport by molecular motors, dynamics of transcription and translation, and the self-organization of filaments and membranes.
- Emeritus group interfaces (director (em.): Helmuth Möhwald)
Understanding molecular interfaces and thus their importance for colloidal systems is the main subject of our research. The small particle size between one and 1,000 nanometers naturally leads to a high surface / volume ratio. Based on this understanding, the department's research in the field of characterization of planar and non-planar interfaces has increased significantly. In addition, successful attempts have been made to transfer this knowledge to curved interfaces. With this background it was possible to learn more about planar interfaces, since large surface areas could be explored in detail using techniques such as NMR or DSC. Another focus is on the development of new materials, especially the arrangement of nanoparticles on surfaces and the production of multifunctional surfaces.
Infrastructure
The institute maintains close contacts abroad, particularly to Eastern Europe, Russia and China. To this end, it is involved in the German-Chinese laboratory in Beijing together with the Chinese Academy of Sciences . In addition to a number of national collaborations such. B. With the Berlin neutron and synchrotron radiation sources ( Hahn-Meitner-Institut , BESSY ) the institute is also involved in the Franco-German network and in the EnerChem research network of the Max Planck Society. So far there have been six spin-offs from the institute, including Capsulution NanoScience AG and microparticles GmbH. The budget is around 10 million euros, around 30% of which is financed by third-party funds. There are currently around 200 employees at the institute. The scientific influence can be seen in around 3000 publications so far. In addition, around 150 doctoral students and a dozen professors were trained in the institute.
International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS)
The institute is involved in the International Max Planck Research School on Multiscale Bio-Systems . An IMPRS is an English-language doctoral program that enables a structured doctorate. The University of Potsdam , the Humboldt University of Berlin , the Free University of Berlin and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI are also involved in the IMPRS ( International Max Planck Research School on Biomimetic Systems until the end of 2012 ) . The spokesman for the IMPRS is Reinhard Lipowsky.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ see IMPRS homepage at http://imprs.mpikg.mpg.de/
Coordinates: 52 ° 24 ′ 53.7 " N , 12 ° 58 ′ 10.9" E