Apl. Prof. Blochowicz Group

We investigate molecular dynamics in disordered, so-called amorphous materials. Although these systems lack the long range molecular order of crystals, they are structured on short and intermediate length scales, a structure which can be disturbed or altered by surfaces and interfaces in complex materials. We are interested in structure-dynamics relationships on a molecular level and how these determine the macroscopic material properties.

Some of our scientific questions

  • What is the role of structure formation in hydrogen bonding liquids?
    Water being only one example with about 40 known physical anomalies. How are these related to the structure imposed by hydrogen bonding? What is the effect of these water properties on, e.g., hydrated proteins, where water is known to play a big role in determining the function of these biomolecules?
  • How does charge transport work in ionic liquids?
    Ionic liquids are salts that are liquid at room temperature with quite freaky physical properties. How do the liquids properties change in the presence of surfaces and interfaces, like in a gel or a porous matrix? This is of particular importance when applying these liquids in so-called energy materials …
  • How exactly does glass formation work?
    How do molecular properties relate to the dynamic processes that are involved in the tremendous slowing down (typically 15 orders of magnitude!) occurring at the glass transition?
  • What happens in liquid mixtures, like polymer-plasticizer systems or hydrated proteins, when a particularly slow component imposes an energy landscape on smaller molecules? What does that mean for the dynamics of these small molecules and what are the resulting macroscopic properties of the system?

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Technical University of Darmstadt

Institute for Condensed Matter Physics
Structure and Dynamics of Amorphous Systems

Building S2|07
Hochschulstr. 6
64289 Darmstadt

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