Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung

A chemical factory for all cases

In the future, bottlenecks in the supply of medicines could be more easily eliminated. An automated machine for radial synthesis developed by chemists at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces will enable the flexible production of medical agents and other chemical products. Th ... more

New material for chemistry text books

Even the well-known can sometimes surprise. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3), also known colloquially as lime or chalk, is a mineral that has already been thoroughly analysed by chemists. But chemistry books, in which it is listed as occurring in five different crystal structures, now need to be a ... more

Stiff fibres spun from slime

Nature is an excellent teacher – even for material scientists. Researchers, including scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, have now observed a remarkable mechanism by which polymer materials are formed. In order to capture prey, velvet worms shoot out a sticky ... more