We are not only investigating the temporal course of reorganisation processes in polymer aggregates (micelles), but also in particular the triggered rearrangement of so-called non-equilibrium micelles under otherwise constant conditions. This can lead to considerable property changes.

Steinschulte, A. A.; Scotti, A.; Rahimi, K.; Nevskyi, O.; Oppermann, A.; Schneider, S.; Bochenek, S.; Schulte, M. F.; Geisel, K.Jansen, F.; Jung, A.; Mallmann, S.; Winter, R.; Richtering, W.; Wöll, D.; Schweins, R.; Warren, N. J.; Plamper, F. A. Stimulated Transitions of Directed Nonequilibrium Self-Assemblies. Advanced Materials 2017, 29 (43), 1703495. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201703495 .

Dähling, C.; Houston, J. E.; Radulescu, A.; Drechsler, M.; Brugnoni, M.; Mori, H.; Pergushov, D. V.; Plamper, F. A. Self-Templated Generation of Triggerable and Restorable Nonequilibrium Micelles. ACS Macro Letters 2018, 7 (3), 341-346. DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.8b00096 .

Prasser, Q.; Fuhs, T.; Torger, B.; Neubert, R.; Brendler, E.; Vogt, C.; Mertens, F.; Plamper, F. A. Nonequilibrium Colloids: Temperature-Induced Bouquet Formation of Flower-like Micelles as a Time-Domain-Shifting Macromolecular Heat Alert. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c09590 .

The focus is on the modulation of so-called microgels (gel networks in the nanometre to micrometre range) at interfaces and in dispersion, whereby non-equilibrium structures are also being researched here in particular. These will ultimately be used for energy storage in microgels.

Plamper, F. A.; Richtering, W. Functional Microgels and Microgel Systems. Accounts of Chemical Research 2017, 50 (2), 131-140. DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.6b00544 .

Mergel, O.; Schneider, S.; Tiwari, R.; Kühn, P. T.; Keskin, D.; Stuart, M. C. A.; Schöttner, S.; Kanter, M. de; Noyong, M.; Caumanns, T.; Mayer, J.; Janzen, C.; Simon, U.; Gallei, M.; Wöll, D.; van Rijn, P.; Plamper, F. A. Cargo shuttling by electrochemical switching of core-shell microgels obtained by a facile one-shot polymerisation. Chem. Sci. 2019, 10 (6), 1844-1856. DOI: 10.1039/C8SC04369H .

We are looking for suitable conditions for the controlled deposition of polymers on electrodes in order to generate structured surfaces, films and membranes. In addition to the quartz crystal microbalance, we use hydrodynamic voltammetry with the aid of a rotating ring-disc electrode.

Mergel, O.; Kühn, P. T.; Schneider, S.; Simon, U.; Plamper, F. A. Influence of Polymer Architecture on the Electrochemical Deposition of Polyelectrolytes. Electrochimica Acta 2017, 232, 98-105. DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2017.02.102 .

Prasser, Q.; Steinbach, D.; Kodura, D.; Schildknecht, V.; König, K.; Weber, C.; Brendler, E.; Vogt, C.; Peuker, U.; Barner-Kowollik, C.Mertens, F.; Schacher, F. H.; Goldmann, A. S.; Plamper, F. A. Electrochemical Stimulation of Water-Oil Interfaces by Nonionic-Cationic Block Copolymer Systems. Langmuir 2021, 37 (3), 1073-1081. DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02822 .

Gersdorf, S.; Schildknecht, V.; Schumann, E.; Seidel, S.; Torger, B.; Prasser, Q.; Frenzel, N.; Lißner, A.; Heitmann, J.; Mertens, F.; Frisch, G.; A. Plamper, F. Aqueous Polyelectrolyte Electrodeposition: The Effects of Alkyl Substitution and Varying Supporting Electrolyte Concentrations on the Deposition Efficiency. ChemElectroChem 2023, 10 (17), e202300217. DOI: 10.1002/celc.202300217 .

Almost all of our research topics have to do with polymer complexes. These include interpolyelectrolyte complexes or hybrids with inorganic substances. In addition, specific van der Waals interactions are also utilised to synthesise novel amphiphilic polymer particles (so-called single chain nanoparticles).

Hebbeker, P.; Steinschulte, A. A.; Schneider, S.; Plamper, F. A. Balancing Segregation and Complexation in Amphiphilic Copolymers by Architecture and Confinement. Langmuir2017, 33 (17), 4091-4106. DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b04602 .

Hebbeker, P.; Langen, T. G.; Plamper, F. A.; Schneider, S. Spacer Chains Prevent the Intramolecular Complexation in Miktoarm Star Polymers. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2018, 122 (17), 4729-4736. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b01663 .

We are interested in special polymer conformations at interfaces that are otherwise inaccessible or hardly accessible (such as sandwich structures). In addition, we were able to follow the restructuring of micelles at interfaces to monolayers directly using interfacial shear rheology.

Steinschulte, A.; Xu, W.; Draber, F.; Hebbeker, P.; Jung, A.; Bogdanovski, D.; Schneider, S.; Tsukruk, V. V.; Plamper, F. A. Interface-Enforced Complexation between Copolymer Blocks. Soft Matter 2015, 11 (18), 3559-3565. DOI: 10.1039/C5SM00242G .

Prasser, Q.; Steinbach, D.; Münch, A. S.; Neubert, R.; Weber, C.; Uhlmann, P.; Mertens, F.; Plamper, F. A. Interfacial Rearrangements of Block Copolymer Micelles Toward Gelled Liquid-Liquid Interfaces with Adjustable Viscoelasticity. Small 2022, 18 (18), e2106956. DOI: 10.1002/smll.202106956 .

In addition to light scattering (dynamic and static), a new X-ray scattering system for small-angle and wide-angle scattering not only provides detailed information on the structure in solution/dispersion, but also at interfaces (GIWAXS and GISAXS). In addition, selected measurements are carried out at large research facilities.

Steinschulte, A. A.; Gelissen, A. P. H.; Jung, A.; Brugnoni, M.; Caumanns, T.; Lotze, G.; Mayer, J.; Pergushov, D. V.; Plamper, F. A. Facile Screening of Various Micellar Morphologies by Blending Miktoarm Stars and Diblock Copolymers. ACS Macro Letters 2017, 6 (7), 711-715. DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.7b00328 .

Dähling, C.; Lotze, G.; Mori, H.; Pergushov, D. V.; Plamper, F. A. Thermoresponsive Segments Retard the Formation of Equilibrium Micellar Interpolyelectrolyte Complexes by Detouring to Various Intermediate Structures. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2017, 121 (27), 6739-6748. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b04238 .

Steinbach, D.; Neubert, R.; Gersdorf, S.; Schimpf, C.; Erb, D.; Rafaja, D.; Plamper, F. A.; Mertens, F. Morphology and orientation change of layer-by-layer deposited one- and two-dimensional coordination polymer nanocrystals containing rhodium paddle-wheel units. CrystEngComm 2023, 25 (32), 4568-4581. DOI: 10.1039/D3CE00721A .