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With Laser, Passion, and Social Media

Three people stand side by side in a laboratory and look into the camera: Dr. Alexandra Tsouka, Prof. Felix Löffler, and Dr. Ondrej Havelka. — On a growth trajectory: institute director Prof. Felix Löffler with his colleagues Dr. Alexandra Tsouka and Dr. Ondrej Havelka

The institute led by Prof. Felix Löffler at TUHH is just a little over half a year old. Yet it has quickly attracted attention – also thanks to a globally successful Instagram channel

A German, a Czech, and a Greek walk into a room – usually that’s how bad jokes start. In this case, however, it is the beginning of the remarkable story of a new institute at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH).

The Institute for Molecular and Multimaterial Manufacturing (i4M) was founded in autumn 2025. The initiator and head of the institute is Prof. Felix Löffler. The physicist previously worked, among others, at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Most recently, he was group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Colloid and Interface Research in Potsdam. With his invention, the multimaterial nano 3D printer, he has opened new ways to design functional surfaces that can actively respond to environmental influences.

At Löffler’s new workplace in the i4M, the first employees have since joined: the Czech laser nanotechnology expert Dr. Ondrej Havelka and the Greek organic chemist Dr. Alexandra Tsouka. They are one of the youngest institutes at TUHH – and together they pursue research in a highly innovative field.

Nanoparticles Neutralize Antibiotics

Close-up of several micropipettes standing in a holder in the laboratory. — Important working tool: micropipettes in the laboratory of the Institute for Molecular and Multimaterial Manufacturing

The team works on developing new methods to print tiny structures. These methods use lasers to shape materials with high precision – even at the nanometer scale. This is far more precise than conventional 3D printing technologies. The work involves various materials, from plastics through composites to special mixtures of organic and inorganic substances. The goal is to create entire libraries of diverse substances and materials.

In one major research direction, Prof. Löffler and his team develop new ways to generate a wide variety of nanoparticles. Many of these nanoparticles show high performance in catalytic processes. Drawing in particular on Dr. Ondrej Havelka’s expertise in laser nanotechnology, one application example concerns water contaminated by antibiotics. Antibiotics in water can lead to the emergence of multi-resistant germs, which can pose a major threat to humans. Nanoparticles can neutralize antibiotics, before they can contaminate the environment. Furthermore, Havelka’s laser approach enables nanoparticle synthesis in water, without the need for toxic solvents or chemicals. This illustrates the broader potential of such nanomaterials for sustainable technologies, including the development of efficient catalysts. Thus, the research at i4M fits perfectly with the work of the Collaborative Research Centre SMART Reactors and the Excellence Cluster BlueMat at TUHH.

When Felix Löffler won the prestigious Heisenberg Fellowship of the German Research Foundation (DFG) in 2024, virtually all doors were open to the sought-after scientist. But among the many offers, TUHH stood out. “In many large, established research institutions, you have to fit into certain structures,” says Prof. Löffler. “The biggest advantage of TUHH was the huge freedom granted to me here. Decisions were made extremely quickly and straightforwardly. I've never experienced anything like that before.”

Instagram Video with Over Five Million Views

How would he summarize the first months of the newly founded institute in three words? Prof. Felix Löffler only has to think briefly: “Challenging. Inspiring. And extremely promising. We basically started from scratch. Of course, that means a lot of work. But it also gives you the opportunity to design everything anew. It feels like a kind of startup.”

This also fits the institute’s communication strategy. Löffler’s colleague Ondrej Havelka is not only a successful early career scientist but also a renowned content creator on the side. He started the Instagram channel ChemLab.X at the Technical University of Liberec in the Czech Republic. With his self-made, humorous short videos about everyday lab life, Havelka today reaches an audience worldwide. The video “Acid to Water” – about the dangers of mixing water and acid – has been viewed more than five million times so far.

“Science communication today often works like this: researchers explain, and the audience listens,” says Ondrej Havelka. “That’s important. But we also need something immediate, something with pace, humor, and visual impact.” That is exactly what the Instagram videos on the ChemLab.X channel deliver. “This is one of the principles of this institute: not just sophisticated scientific research, but also enjoying it as much as possible. There are many funny stories from the lab still to be discovered.”

International and Interdisciplinary

The popular videos help the young institute to become more visible and to promote itself, but also the TUHH in general. At the same time, they also convey the passion of the i4M staff for research. This also applies to Dr. Alexandra Tsouka. The chemist joined in March from the biotechnology company PEPperPRINT, with which i4M cooperates closely. For Tsouka, moving to TUHH was a return to academic research. “What fascinates me about working here,” says Alexandra Tsouka, “is that through science we try to improve people’s lives. My interest focuses especially on biological applications, such as disease biomarker discovery. At the same time, the work is an ongoing learning process for me. I started as a pure organic chemist, but throughout the years I have learned a lot about biotechnology, immunology, and engineering.”

Institute director Felix Löffler also finds the appeal exactly there. “One of the reasons why I’m still in research is that I can learn something new every day that I had no idea about before. If I had to do the same thing every day, I would lose motivation quickly. Here, we can grow together and try new things.”

The institute’s unique interdisciplinary culture provides ideal conditions for this approach. The i4M goes far beyond what is typically found even in much larger institutes. “You can already see this diversity within our founding team: an organic chemist, a nanoscientist,” says Prof. Löffler. “And I myself am actually a physicist who has never really worked like a typical physicist. Instead, I have always worked in many different fields. It is simply exciting to work in such a diverse, interdisciplinary, and international team.”

And this team is to grow further in the future. New colleagues will join, expanding into engineering and biotechnology. The institute itself will also expand: in summer, the i4M will move to new premises. More space for cutting-edge research – and new filming locations for lab videos.

Institute for Molecular and Multimaterial Manufacturing (i4M): https://www.tuhh.de/i4m/homepage

ChemLabX: https://www.instagram.com/chemlab.x/