Porphyrinoid metal complexes are prominent representatives of prosthetic groups in metalloenzymes. They are found ubiquitously in all kingdoms of life and perform various central tasks in the biological energy balance. We produce artificial analogues of these biomolecules and investigate their electronic structures, chemistry and biochemistry in order to open up new fields of application.
The fascinating chemistry of boron is the central focus of our research. We are interested in novel bonding situations (e. g. multiple bonds) or reactivities of this inspiring chemical element. The compounds achieved are subject to a broad range of applications including substrate activation, boron-containing ligands for metal complexes and photo responsive compounds.
Diboran(4)-Derivatives and Silylboranes as Ligand Precursors and their Use in Catalysis. Tailor-made Boryl-Metal Complexes as Model Complexes. X-Ray Structure Determination and Structural Chemistry of Reactive Intermediates.
Tamm Group – Organometallic Chemistry and Catalysis
Our research interests are in the field of preparative organometallic chemistry and coordination chemistry, focusing on the development of new, unusual ligand systems and the use of their transition metal complexes in homogeneous catalysis, organic synthesis and materials science.
How to activate small molecules such as P4, CO2, H2, N2 or CH4? – To achieve this goal, we prepare d- and f-block metal complexes, probe their reactivity and employ physical and spectroscopic methods to unravel the underlying structure-reactivity relationship. The information gained is employed to develop catalytically active compounds based on environmentally benign and sustainable metals.
Development and application of new tools in computational chemistry, in silico simulation of molecular recognition, studies on mechanochemistry and bonding theory.
Our interest: Chemistry of communication, chemical ecology and natural products chemistry using organic synthesis, analysis, and biosynthesis to decipher compound structures and function.
Image: Application of tailor-made biocatalysts in pilot scale for enzymatic production of high value sugar, isomaltose from sucrose
Our main research interest is biocatalysis: screening, characterization and application of carbohydrate enzyme to produce high value sugars, functional food and sugar substitute (prebiotics, dietary fibers and alternative sweeteners).
Bild: Blick in die Probenkammer des Röntgen-Photoelektronenspektrometers (XPS), das zum Beispiel in Charakterisierung von Polymerfilmen für die Biomedizintechnik genutzt wird.
In vielen Anwendungen von optischen Elementen bis hin zu biomedizinischen Anwendungen können ultradünne Polymerbeschichtungen die Eigenschaften eines Materials ganz wesentlich bestimmen. Wir synthetisieren Polymere und charakterisieren die Beschichtungen, um z.B. die Biokompatibilität eines Implantatmaterials entscheidend zu verbessern.
Image: From a single particle (TEM image) to in-situ- & operando characterization and testing of technical electrodes in a hardware cell (test sample, image).
How to generate valuable products made from carbon dioxide (CO2)? What are the technical requirements of electrode materials for applications like fuel cells and electrolysis? What is the cause of the electrode aging processes on different length and time scales? - The Technical Electrocatalysis Group deals with these research topics to secure the energy storage and energy conversion in the near future. Our research activities build a bridge from the atomic level to technical application.
Tea constituents, such as phenolic compounds, foremost flavonoids as well as phenolic acids (in tea and coffee) and amino acids. Studies on contaminants like nicotine in tea or food borne toxins like acrylamide or furan and methylfurans. Methods in focus are chromatography (HPLC, UHPLC, often hyphenated to mass spectrometers, GC and GC-MS).
Why does one methylcellulose gel at 58 ⁰C, another one at 35 ⁰C? Why does one methylcellulose form a clear solution, while the other does not? Such differences in properties of putatively equal polysaccharide derivatives which, for instance, provide the required consistence in vegetarian sausages, are caused by their structure. And this structure is not uniform, but a combination of complex patterns and distributions which need to be analyzed as detailed as possible. Our work in the field of carbohydrate analysis is aimed at solving these questions. In doing so, quantitative mass spectrometry plays a central role.
Image: Counter current chromatographic techniques (spCCC and HSCCC), natural extracts
We deal with numerous topics in the field of food/natural product analysis. This includes wine, fruit juice and aroma research, whereby preparative separation techniques (e.g. Countercurrent Chromatography) are used to isolate bioactive ingredients. Other topics include authentication of food and the use of side streams from the food industry for extraction of valuable materials.
Bacteria produce electric current or synthesize compounds by the application of electric current. These processes allow developing completely news applications. We study the mechanisms of the bioelectrochemical processes and develop components for microbial electrochemical technologies.
It is our main goal to develop new tools and techniques for the study of batteries, in order to gain a deeper understanding of their electrochemical processes and limitations.
We explore electrochemical the synthesis of regenerative fuels and green platform chemicals. “Electrofuels” can be seen as an opportunity to store fluctuating electric energy from wind power and photovoltaics into liquid fuels.
The work group residue analysis investigates fate and behavior of micro-pollutants in municipal and agricultural waste streams, water/sediment and soil/plant systems to identify removal potentials of natural and technical processes in the environment.
At the Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF) we develop sustainable chemical processes and products for technological applications. State-of-the-art instrumental analysis allows adressing analytical problems.
Our investigation of gas-phase molecules, aerosol particles and droplets is motivated by manifold reasons as: a better basic understanding of matter between molecule and bulk; their prominent role in the physics and chemistry of the atmospheres of the Earth, other planets, satellites and in space; their impact on weather and climate; the prospects of molecular aerosols and nanoparticles in health care, pharmacy and technical applications.
At present I am mainly concerned with possible applications of the Kovtun-Son-Starinets (KSS) conjecture in physical chemistry. A totally unexplored field in science.
Image: Artificial intelligence methods facilitate inexpensive predictions of highly accurate energies.
Our group explores the interface between theoretical chemistry and artificial intelligence. The design of reactive systems for the energy transition is at the heart of our research.
Image: The optical parametric amplifier (OPA) enables tuning of the wavelength of an ultrafast laser system.
Our research is focused on natural and artificial light harvesting as well as flourescence microscopy and neurobiology. We explore ultrafast photosynthetic light-harvesting processes and use that knowledge for artificial light-harvesting in high efficiency photovoltaics. In addition, we explore neurobiological signal transmission and memory using single molecule detection, fluorescence microscopy and polarization.
