Physical Chemistry






  • FacebookTwitterYoutube

Research

We modify interfaces – via wetting, coating, absorption and adsorption of polymers low molecular weight substances and particles.
The structure and chemical functionality of solid surfaces (plates and fibres) is tuned via wet chemistry, electrochemistry, gas phase reactions and transfer of monolayers and wetting layers. Liquid surfaces are studied as model systems for wetting and structure formation through self organisation.

Some Examples:

- The almost general tendency of organic liquids to retract from a water surface is overcome via addition of suitable particles. These particles form a monolayer on the water surface and drag the organic liquid through capillary forces over the surface [1,2]


- We solidify the liquid in these mixed layers and subsequently remove the particles to finally obtain an ultrathin membrane with high a high density of uniform pores. This membrane is then transferred to a macroporouse support and finally can be used for advanced filtration applications. [3]

- The membranes shown above are further used to structure materials, e.g. by using them as etching masks or by selectively wetting the pore walls bay a second liquid which can be solidified [4]

- Partial wetting of colloidal crystals yields sub-microscopic rings[5]

- Trichlorosilanes, especially synthesised by us form monolayers on surfaces of silicon wafers, glass or ceramics, which allow to specifically immobilizing biological molecules like proteins or DNA with high efficiency at room temperature and in aqueous environment.

- Planar substrates and fibres are coated via chemical vapour deposition of Si-, B-, N- and C-containing compounds with coatings that improve the oxidation stability and optimize the adhesion and force transduction between matrix and fibres in advanced composites [6]

Selected papers:

  1. "A simple theory of particle assisted wetting" Werner A. Goedel, Europhys. Lett 2003, 62(4), 607-613
  2. "Particle assisted wetting" Hui Xu, Werner A. Goedel, Langmuir 2003 19(12), 4950-4952
  3. "From particle assisted wetting to thin free-standing porous membranes" Hui Xu, Werner A. Goedel, Angewandte Chemie Internatnl. Edition 2003, 42, 4694-4696
  4. “Preparation of Mesoscopic Gold Rings Using Particle Imprinted Templates“ Feng Yan, Werner A. Goedel, Nanolett 2004, 4, 1193 – 1196
  5. “The preparation of Mesoscopic Rings in Colloidal Crystal Templates
    Feng Yan, Werner A. Goedel, Angewandte Chemie, 2005
  6. “Comparative investigations of structure and properties of BCN coatings deposited by thermal and plasma-enhanced CVD” S. Stöckel, K. Weise, T. Thamm, K.-U.Körner, D. Dietrich, G. Marx, PAnal.Bioanal.Chem. 2003, 375, 884-890

Complete list of references