Profiles of the participating groups

The Aßmann group develops cross-scale spectroscopy methods for the investigation of material dynamics - from picoseconds to long-term, from atomic to micrometric. Customized ultrafast and nonlinear laser spectroscopy is used to investigate quantum optical issues in semiconductors and tribological surfaces in situ and operando.

Key technologies
Streak camera spectroscopy and femtosecond laser systems, homodyne detection with real-time phase space measurement, Raman imaging, Brillouin interferometry, Faraday/Kerr rotation as well as tip-enhanced emission and spatial beam shaping are used.

Applications
The research enables analysis and optimization of semiconductor lasers and photonic components, wear prevention and lubricant analysis, material diagnostics for tribological components, coatings and biomedical implants as well as real-time monitoring of physical-chemical material properties.

Access the website via the following link: AG Aßmann

The Clever Lab uses computational methods, synthetic chemistry and a variety of analytical methods to design, prepare and examine bioinspired supramolecular assemblies by stepwise increasing their structural and functional complexity. Natural low-symmetry nano-confinements (as found in enzyme pockets) and multi-chromophore arrangements (as in photosynthetic organisms) are mimicked by metal-mediated multicomponent – yet non-statistical – self-assembly strategies. By combining different chemical functionalities, modular libraries of nanostructures with emergent properties such as multitopic guest binding, circular polarized luminescence and intra-assembly vectorial exciton or charge transfer are accessed. Unraveling fundamental molecular dynamics and light-triggered processes relies heavily on a variety of optical spectroscopy methods at different time scales. Learned principles generate application potential for sustainable catalytic transformations, light-harvesting materials, medical diagnostics and the chemical augmentation of biological systems.

Key technologies:
- Circularly Polarized Luminescence (JSCO CPL-300, www.jascoeurope.com/cpl-300-model/)
- Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy (with temperature controlled cuvette holder)
- UV-Vis Absorption Spectroscopy (with temperature controlled cuvette holder)
- Fluorescence Spectroscopy (with integrating sphere)
- Spectro-Electrochemistry (different cell and electrode types)
- Irradiation Equipment for Photochemistry (Hg, Xe and LED light sources)

Access the website via the following link: CleverLab

The Chair of Materials Test Engineering (WPT) forms the foundation for the development, design, and manufacture of reliable high-performance products across all research and industrial sectors. Successful material selection, quality control, component monitoring, and failure analysis rely on precise determination of chemical composition, microstructure and defect structures, as well as material properties and damage evolution, complemented by powerful modeling and simulation methods. In addition to material qualification and manufacturing optimization, the identification and separation of deformation and damage mechanisms play a central role, as does the assessment of structural integrity and lifetime prediction.

Spectroscopy plays a central role in materials testing and analysis. It offers a powerful means of determining chemical composition, identifying defects, monitoring material changes, and characterizing the structure of materials. The versatility and precision of spectroscopic techniques make them an indispensable tool in materials science, quality assurance, and research - particularly in the development of new materials and in ensuring their performance under real-world operating conditions.

Key technologies:

- Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES)
- Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX)
- X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
- Infrared Spectroscopy (IR)
- Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM)

Access the website via the following link: WPT