Imbibition of water and a liquid crystal in nanoporous silica

11.5.2011


Gravimetric study on the capillarity-driven invasion dynamics of the rod-like liquid crystal octyloxycyanobiphenyl (8OCB) in mesoporous monolithic silica glass (Vycor) reveals the existence of a paranematic phase driven by the molecular alignment of the rods in the narrow pore structure (see article published as part of the special issue on nano- and microfluidics in Journal of Physics).

News

  • March 2024 - Revolution through Water 

    A new research initiative has been launched at the TUHH with a strong involvement of our institute. See the project website here and also a research news contribution on this research project here.

  • 08.11.2023 New group photo!

  • 15.02.2023 Our article on the fabrication of hierachically porous silicon and silica has been published in the jorunal 'Small'. See also DESY's press release.

     

  • 28.11.2022 A study on in operando high-resolution X-ray diffraction and electron tomography-based micromechanical computer simulations of electrochemical actuation in pSi-polypyrrole composites was published in Physical Review Materials.

     

  • 14.11.2022 Hamburg scientists win North German Science Prize: The Centre for Multiscale Integrated Materials Systems (CIMMS), a materials science centre in which our institute is involved, receives the North German Science Award 2022. Here you can find the corresponding press release in German and here a short summary on Instagram.