As part of the "Hamburger Horizonte", the Hamburg University of Technology (TU Hamburg) hosted the event "Water, the Liquid that Connects Nature and Technology." With a poster exhibition, laboratory tours, and short lectures, TU Hamburg provided insights into current research approaches to water studies in Hamburg. The event is part of Hamburger Horizonte – a joint initiative of the Hamburg Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS), the Körber Foundation, and the University of Hamburg. Various event formats are planned until November 20, 2025, focusing on water as a habitat and valuable resource. The goal is to make scientific findings accessible to a broad audience.
“Lately, we have been particularly considering how we can bring what we learn about the various properties of water closer to an interested public,” explained Prof. Irina Smirnova, Head of the Institute of Thermal Separation Processes and Vice President for Research at TU Hamburg, in her welcome address. One pathway to public awareness runs through "Science Made in Hamburg," an initiative of the universities in cooperation with the City of Hamburg and funded by the Claussen-Simon Foundation, introduced by project coordinator Stefanie Hentschel. To highlight the societal benefits of Hamburg’s research and academic landscape, the editor regularly reports on exciting research projects from the region on hamburg.de – including research from "BlueMat."
Water as a Research and Working Material
Behind the term BlueMat lies TU Hamburg’s new Cluster of Excellence. The focus of the research is on an initially inconspicuous element: water. “Water is the sustainable liquid par excellence,” stated Prof. Patrick Huber, BlueMat co-spokesperson, enthusiastically. “It covers 70 percent of our planet, it is ubiquitous. Our climate is shaped by it, the weather, and we ourselves consist largely of water. The search for life in the universe is a search for water.”
BlueMat investigates sustainable and interactive material systems in connection with water – so-called “Blue Materials.” Water is not intended to be used on a macro scale, as during the first industrial revolution in steam engines, but as an active material on the nanoscale. Prof. Huber hopes for revolutionary breakthroughs in materials research from this. The interaction of water with porous materials is a particular focus, enabling novel functionalities. Prof. Alexander Petrov from the Institute of Optical and Electronic Materials demonstrated this using the interaction of silicon with water. For example, when a silicon surface comes into contact with water, the structure of its pores changes. These altered pores now reflect different light waves and thus change the color of the material – a “chameleon effect.” This property could be used, for example, in smart windows that filter certain rays through the evaporation of water, thereby regulating the building’s temperature.
Innovations from the Laboratory
In other areas, water also serves as a true miracle substance. During tours of the CampusLab "Circular Economy," it was shown how water is used as a working medium in a biorefinery to extract basic substances such as sugars, cellulose, and lignin from biomass like wood or straw. Only hot water and high pressure are needed for this, as Prof. Smirnova explained in her short lecture. In just a few minutes, the necessary basic substances can be produced.
Prof. Dr. Michael Fröba from the Institute of Inorganic and Applied Chemistry at the University of Hamburg presented the special properties of the water molecule and its diverse applications. Water is the only compound on Earth’s surface that occurs in all three states of matter.
In another laboratory excursion, Dr. Thorsten Dorsch from the Institute of Water Resources and Water Supply introduced interested attendees to water analysis and treatment in the TU Hamburg experimental and drinking water laboratory. Processes for removing contaminants were demonstrated, including membrane filtration, where water is pressed through membranes under pressure. Dr. Klaus Johannsen, Dorsch’s colleague, also deals with this topic. In his lecture, he presented a pilot project for membrane filtration of filter backwash water for reuse as raw water. This water is then fed back into the normal treatment process and into the drinking water network. The project could thus make an important contribution to sustainable water supply.
Further information at: hamburger-horizonte.de
