Using computer game technology to develop new materials and new active substances against diseases

Bringing molecular relationships to the big screen of virtual reality

16-Nov-2023 - Bio-chemical research is increasingly dependent on accurate computer modeling and analysis. This requires different disciplines such as natural sciences, computer science and engineering to work hand in hand. A research group has been established at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences ...

New Discovery: Toward sugar origami

Folded carbohydrates could open up completely new perspectives in biomedicine and materials science

06-Jul-2023 - Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPICI) have designed a carbohydrate sequence capable of folding into a stable secondary structure. Until now, such self-folding biopolymers had only been developed for DNA and proteins, and sugars were previously considered too ...

On the way to cell-type materials

Physicists decode the dynamic interaction between molecular machines in metal-organic frameworks

05-Jul-2022 - Molecular machines control a sizeable number of fundamental processes in nature. Embedded in a cellular environment, these processes play a central role in the intracellular and intercellular transportation of molecules, as well as in muscle contraction in humans and animals. In order for the ...

Natural super glue from mistletoe berries

A promising discovery

21-Jun-2022 - A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPICI) and McGill University in Canada discovered strong adhesive properties of white-berry mistletoe. The mistletoe berry's flexible fibers adhere to both skin and cartilage as well as to various synthetic materials ...

Exciting light emission and measuring temperature with ultrasound

Scientists develop mechanoluminescent material systems: Application in photodynamic therapy

21-Jun-2022 - If mechanoluminescent materials are subjected to external mechanical stress, they emit visible or invisible light. Such excitation can occur due to bending or gentle pressure, for example, but also completely contact-free through ultrasound. In this way, the effect can be triggered remotely and ...

Electronic skin: multisensory hybrid material

Even more sensitive than a human fingertip

18-May-2022 - The “smart skin” developed by Anna Maria Coclite is very similar to human skin. It senses pressure, humidity and temperature simultaneously and produces electronic signals. More sensitive robots or more intelligent prostheses are thus conceivable. The skin is the largest sensory organ and at the ...

Copper is effective against Sars-Cov-2 on surfaces – silver is not

Silver nanopatches leave the virus unimpressed

09-May-2022 - Copper and silver are known for their antibacterial properties. Researchers from Bochum have explored their effectiveness against viruses. Silver and copper ions wipe out many pathogens. That’s why implants and medical instruments, for example, are coated with these metals. Researchers from ...

New AI algorithm generates innovative substances on the basis of desired properties

Function determines form

23-Feb-2022 - Whether in medicine, battery research, or materials science, researchers everywhere are seeking innovative substances. In the process, they can often predict the desired chemical and physical properties in great detail, right down to atomic level. However, the range of all potential chemical ...

Analysis system enables targeted investigation of antiviral surfaces for material developers

Use of real-time polymerase chain reaction to test antiviral effectiveness

28-Oct-2020 - The need for everyday objects with antiviral surfaces is high due to the COVID 19 pandemic. It is known that the material composition of an object has an influence on the viability of viruses on surfaces. This is where the work of the Fraunhofer IFAM comes in: In cross-disciplinary research ...

Curious Mind Researcher Award Granted

31-Oct-2019 - Merck and the German business journal manager magazin presented the Curious Mind Researcher Award in Berlin. Ulrike Kramm (40), a materials scientist, received the prize worth €7,500 in the category “Mobility and Energy”. Computer scientist Xiaoying Zhuang (36) was also awarded € 7,500 for her ...