Department Mineral Interfaces
Basis for a strong cooperation between science and industry
The Mineral Interfaces department is concerned with the sequence and better understanding of the complex processes that occur on mineral materials from various industrial sectors, such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemistry or construction. This opens up technological perspectives to expand the spectrum of technical properties through targeted functionalisation or to further extend the resistance and thus the service life of the materials.
Research Groups
| Scope of Duties/ Expertise | |
| Mineral Interfaces Prof. Dr. Andreas Gerdes |
The field of molecular interaction deals with modeling of chemical reactions, in particular reactions between silicon-organic compounds and mineral materials. |
| Chemistry/Mineral Interfaces Dr. Matthias Schwotzer |
The field of reactive transport processes deals with investigation and modeling of physiochemical principles that are essential for transport processes in porous mineral materials.
|
| Modeling/Mineral Interfaces Prof. Dr. Andreas Gerdes |
The field of modeling uses computational chemical methods to investigate chemical reactions of organic compounds on mineral interfaces. |
| Physics/Mineral Interfaces Dipl. Math. Anne Lebhardt |
The field of physics mineral interfaces deals with determination of experimental dates from chemical basics that are essential physical dominated interactions in the environment. |
|
Biology/Mineral Interfaces |
We research the interactions between mineral interfaces and biofilm producing microorganisms, espeacially bacteria, fungi and algae. |
| Model substrates of mineral interfaces |
We develop and investigate models of mineral interfaces, such as cement / water. We use the density functional theory and verify our main working hypotheses consequently in key experiments. |
Key aspects of research
- Modeling of chemical reactions
- Characterization of mineral interfaces as basis for their functionalization. Beneath analytical methods we use powerful calculations and finite-element-methods.
- This attainment serves as basis for the development for multifunctional interfaces of mineral basic material.
- With this new research approach - from nano to macro - not only a very good fitted teamwork between fundamental research and applied research is realized. There will also be a transfer of technology to economy.