May 8, 2026 14:00 - 15:30

DESY, Building 1b, 2. OG Seminar room 3

Coupling Adsorption and Mechanics: An Ultrasonic and Dilatometric Study of Water in Nanoporous Glass

Vapor sorption is inherently coupled to mechanics of porous materials. Sorption takes place due to the favorable interactions between the fluid molecules and the surface of the adsorbent. These strong intermolecular forces not only drive adsorption but also result in adsorption-induced deformation [1]. For example, when water vapor adsorbs in nanoporous Vycor glass, the sample expands by about 0.1% [2]. Given the bulk modulus of porous glass (~8 GPa), this small strain corresponds to internal stresses (solvation pressure) of several hundred atmospheres.

By combining vapor sorption experiments with ultrasonic measurements, we probe how water adsorption affects the elastic properties of the solid [3]. Although elastic moduli are generally treated as constants for a given solid material, our experiments reveal that adsorption of a monolayer of water increases the bulk and shear moduli of Vycor by nearly 3%. Such stiffening implies that the solid framework experiences an effective load of hundreds of atmospheres, providing an additional experimental manifestation of solvation pressure at the nanoscale. Along with the ultrasonic measurements, we performed the in-situ dilatometry during the water vapor sorption. We showed that there is a clear correlation between the measured adsorption-induced deformation and the stiffening revealed by ultrasound.

May 29, 2026, 17:00 - 20:00

The Computer as a Microscope – Nano-scale Insights into the Properties of (aqueous) Liquids in porous Materials

The event will take place on the campus of Hamburg University of Technology in Building B, Room O.001

June 11-12, 2026

Together with the Netheler Foundation, we are hosting this year’s Teaching Forum on Bionics at our institute (IPM) and at the Loki Schmidt Garden. There could hardly be a more suitable location, as this is exactly where research, teaching, and public outreach come together.

The event is aimed at everyone interested in bionics and in promoting a stronger integration of this exciting field into education. Anyone who would like to learn more about what bionics actually is, what developments are taking place in Germany, and especially what is happening locally here in Hamburg, including in our Cluster of Excellence Blue Materials, is warmly invited to attend this free event.

Traditionally, the event is held in German. However, all presentations will be translated live, ensuring that non-German speakers can participate.

The event is explicitly open to students, student teachers, lecturers, and anyone interested in bionics. Join us and, in times of change, let us focus on the inspiring and fascinating things in life together: Biology meets Technology – BIOMIMETICS!

April 23, 2026 12:00

Grazing incidence diffuse scattering from liquid surfaces: faster and better than reflectometry?

The surface of water is important not only because of its subtle properties, but also for serving as substrates and reaction platforms in many applications, ranging from cellular membranes, lipid-based pharmaceutics to synthesis of 2DCOF/MOFs. The Langmuir GID setup at the beamline P08 at PETRA III is dedicated to water surfaces and Langmuir layers, providing grazing incidence X-ray scattering (GIXS) data up to 2.5/Å in both Qxy and Qz within half minute. The remaining challenge had been complementarily acquiring the layer structures, that was conventionally measured by reflectometry (XR). The latter requires a complex optics to deflect the synchrotron beam to vary incidence onto liquid surfaces, creating high background and compromises the GIXS data quality.

A so-called pseudoreflectivity method has been developed jointly on the Langmuir GID setup and at 12ID at NSLS-II to overcome this challenge [1,2]. It allows one to acquire a reflectivity down to 10-14 from liquid surfaces in one single GIXS exposure, hence eliminates the demand of varying incidence for layer structure acquisition. It is based on the extended capillary wave model (eCWM). The theory provides a single analytical expression to describe both the specular reflection and the diffuse scattering around it. The single expression both implies that reflectivity can be analytically derived from diffuse scattering signal measured via GIXS. Moreover, the eCWM analysis provides the bending modulus of a film on the liquid surfaces, that is not accessible by conventional XR. Hence the GIXS-pseudoreflectivity method is faster, requires simpler instrument, and provides more information compared to the reflectometry. We have experimentally proven that pseudoreflectivity agrees with the reflectivity measured from conventional XR and can be applied to varies types of liquid surfaces, including water surfaces and surfactant layers on water.
[1] https://doi.org/10.1107/s1600576724002887
[2] https://doi.org/10.1103/znt1-fmx6

April 22, 2026 

The "Energieforschungsverbund Hamburg" hosts Day of Energy Research 2026 – with a focus on Development of Energy Systems. Researchers from Hamburg’s universities will present their latest findings in energy research. Prof. Michael Fröba will kick off the event with a keynote on "BlueMat - Water-Driven Materials". The program offers exciting research talks, a poster session, and plenty of time for networking.
Schedule:
13:30 – 14:00 Arrival and Networking
14:00 – 14:10 Opening
14:10 – 14:30 Keynote: BlueMat – Water-Driven Materials by Dr. Fröba
14:30 – 15:10 Research Presentations
15:10 – 16:10 Networking and Poster Session
16:10 – 17:30 Research Presentations
17:30 Closing and Get-together

April 9, 2026, Time: 12:00 h (CET)

Have you ever noticed how some materials become electrically charged just by touching and separating them? This common effect, known as triboelectric charging, is influenced by factors often overlooked — like the tiny layers of water present on surfaces.

Recent research by Nikolaus Knorr, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, reveals that when two solid objects come into contact in a humid environment, microscopic water bridges form between their surfaces. As the objects separate, these water bridges break in a way that causes certain areas to lose or gain electrical charge. This process is driven by differences in how water interacts with the surfaces at a microscopic level, involving ions trapped in the electrical double layer.
This Adsorbed Water Based Ionic Triboelectric Charging Mechanism provides a scientific explanation for observed behaviors in triboelectric charging, including the well-known triboelectric series. Experiments investigating water dewetting support this model and help us better understand how static charge develops on solid materials.

The findings offer new insights into the fundamental mechanisms behind contact electrification, which could have implications for material design and applications in electronics, sensors, and other technologies.

February 25-26, 2026

This year’s DESY Research Course on Water gathered early-career researchers interested in water-driven materials. Held from 25 to 26 February 2026 at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), the course provided detailed insights into this emerging area of research. The course was specifically aimed at PhD students, postdocs, and early-career researchers, with a focus on “Water-Driven Materials.” Around 35 participants attended lectures and discussions that introduced cutting-edge research topics at the interface of water science and materials research. This platform offered an excellent opportunity to explore new developments, exchange ideas across disciplines, and foster collaborations within the international water science community. The Research Course complemented the broader CMWS Water Days conference held from 23 to 25 February 2026, which attracted approximately 85 researchers from around the world to discuss fundamental aspects of water and its critical in natural and technological systems. Participants also benefited from lab tours of DESY’s state-of-the-art experimental facilities, linking theoretical insights with practical applications. Together, the CMWS Water Days and the DESY Research Course on Water showcase Hamburg as an international hub for pioneering water science research.

February 25, 2026

The surface of water is far more than a smooth boundary layer between liquid and air – it is a highly dynamic microcosm where molecules are constantly rearranging, forces are acting, and energy is being transformed. These processes on the sub-nanometer scale determine how water evaporates or condenses, how it interacts with solids, and how electrical energy can be stored or converted at interfaces. But how can this “invisible” world be investigated at all? Prof. Roland Netz, Freie Universität Berlin, demonstrated how modern atomistic simulations and theoretical models today make it possible to “see” the water surface with unprecedented resolution. This allows the dielectric, spectroscopic, and hydrodynamic properties of water to be determined firsthand – and experimental observations to be better understood. The insights open up new perspectives for energy and materials research: from more efficient electrochemical storage processes to a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms that make our everyday water so extraordinary. This public evening lecture was offered by BlueMat together with the Centre for Molecular Water Science (CMWS) as part of the CMWS Water DAYS 2026 and the CMWS Research Course 2026, and is part of the lecture series WISSENSWERTE.

Friday, December 12th, 2025

10:30-11:45 h, DESY, Building 1b, 2. OG Seminar room 4a and b

Dr.-Ing. Ilya Okulov (Leibniz-IWT Bremen) will give a talk about "Hierarchical Materials via Additive Manufacturing and Liquid Metal Dealloying".

Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).

Friday, November 28th, 2025

10:00-11:00 h, TUHH, Building M, Room M2589

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Yan Ma (TU Delft) will give a talk about "Sustainable alloy production via hydrogen-based reduction of metal oxides".

Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).

Hamburger Horizonte: Water, the liquid that connects nature and technology

With a poster exhibition, laboratory tours, and short presentations, the event offers an overview of the diverse water research being conducted in Hamburg. The BlueMat Cluster of Excellence is developing sustainable “blue materials” that enable novel functions through the interaction of water with porous materials. Inspired by nature, applications such as energy-efficient windows and hydrovoltaics—the generation of electrical energy from changes in humidity—are being developed. The exhibition shows how even the smallest amounts of water can influence the appearance of materials – similar to a chameleon. In the “Circular Economy” CampusLab, water serves as a working medium in a biorefinery to extract raw materials such as sugar, cellulose, and lignin from biomass such as wood or straw. Other laboratory tours focus on water analysis and the removal of pollutants using innovative water treatment processes.

Find the TUHH program here.