Research

Due to their high solubilization capacities and the ability to achieve ultra-low interfacial tensions between water and oil, microemulsions are of great interest in fundamental chemistry and manifold applications, including washing processes, pharmaceutics and cosmetics. The aim of this project is the formulation of efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly microemulsions of the type H₂O/salt – bio-oil – biosurfactant and to characterize their properties.
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This topic deals with complex self-assembled systems which are formed when two or more nano-structured systems are combined. In a former study, we showed that the formation of a gel in a bicontinuous microemulsion is a new type of orthogonal self-assembly. In a new project, we combine thermo-/pressure responsive hydrogel particles and water-in-oil microemulsions, using water swollen micelles as hosts for the hydrogel particles.
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Nanoporous materials are potential candidates for a wide range of applications. For example, organic based materials can be used as insulation materials, while inorganic or hybrid materials are widely used in heterogeneous catalytic applications. The backbone of this project is the utilization of the Nanofoams by Continuity Inversion of Dispersion (NF-CID) principle to prepare organic nanofoams with a pore size smaller than 100 nm.
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In this project, we investigate the pressure-dependent phase behavior of an application-relevant microemulsion consisting of brine/butyldiglycol, decane, propane or methane, and a surfactant mixture of a commercial alkyl alkoxy sulfate and alkyl sulfonate. New insights into the role of pressure and short-chain alkanes on phase behavior and the curvature of the amphiphilic film are obtained and quantified within the HLD framework.
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