Mandel group

Our research

Chair ‘Particle-Based Materials Chemistry’

At the Chair ‘Particle-Based Materials Chemistry’, we design highly functional supraparticles, i.e., particles of a few µm in size that are composed of nanoparticle (and molecular) building blocks.

These complex entities are achieved via forced assembly of the (nano) building blocks, mainly by using the technique of spray-drying.

We study how structure, besides (multimaterial) composition, of such supraparticles affects the interaction among the building blocks of these entities and how this leads to unique functionalities.

A first direction in which we harness this knowledge is the field of magnetic materials, where we aim to realize information-providing or magnetically responsive systems. Here, we focus on iron oxide-based systems and pioneer techniques such as magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) to gain information from magnetic materials or induction heating to trigger a response or reaction magnetically.

A second direction, we are interested in, deals with designing architectures that enable confined (inter)active chemistry. There, we try to develop supraparticles in which chemistry is given a home in confinement and can actively run, i.e., we try to turn the supraparticles into little active, reactive and interactive units.

Find out more, here.

Section Materials Chemistry

The Chair is based in the Section Materials Chemistry within our Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy.

The Section Materials Chemistry at FAU focuses on the chemical design, synthesis, and understanding of materials from the molecular and nanoscale upward.

Its research combines particle-based and thin-film approaches to tailor structure, composition, and interfaces for targeted functions in areas such as energy, sustainability, and information technologies. Distinct from classical materials engineering, the section emphasizes bottom-up chemical control to create materials whose properties arise from precise nanoscale architecture and interfacial chemistry rather than bulk processing.

Find out more, here.