C08 – Soft Matter Structure & Dynamics in Mesopores

Investigating the Structure and Dynamics of Soft Matter Confined in Micro-/Mesoporous Materials

In the third funding period, small-angle scattering (SAS) will be employed to study how confinement and pore surface polarity affect the structure of solvent/reactant mixtures in the nanoscale reaction spaces of CRC 1333. Building on this structural insight, quasi-elastic neutron scattering (spin echo and backscattering) will be used to probe molecular dynamics as well as adsorption and diffusion processes. The density and diffusion profiles obtained in combination with MD simulations will provide the basis for a better understanding of how molecular dynamics influence catalytic activity.

Research focus in the second funding period (2022-2026):
Diffraction analysis of complex-structured mesoporous materials: advancing and application of diffraction methods for the precise, reliable and non-invasive characterization of mesoporous materials on length scales from a few angstroms to hundreds of nanometers.