Mandel group

Professorship for
Inorganic Chemistry
The Supraparticle Group

Prof. Dr. Karl Mandel

Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy
Professorship for Inorganic Chemistry (Prof. Dr. Mandel)

Room A 2.20
Egerlandstraße 1
91058 Erlangen

Phone number: +49 9131 85-27396
Fax number: +49 9131 85-27367
Email: karl.mandel@fau.de
Website: https://www.chemistry.nat.fau.eu/mandel-group/

Research area

We assemble complex particles, so-called supraparticles, from nano building blocks, typically by means of spray‑drying; other methods are employed as well. The (mostly inorganic) nanoparticle building blocks are either tailored by means of wet chemical syntheses approaches by ourselves or are obtained from collaboration partners.

We are interested in novel, functional properties of such supraparticles to emerge from the cooperative interplay of the combined nano building blocks. We study how the supraparticle`s structure and complex composition determines the unique functionalities. With these supraparticles, we aim at creating smart materials in the field of sustainability; examples of applications include water purification, communicating materials and interactive surfaces.

Transfer to application is achieved together with the Fraunhofer part of our group at Fraunhofer ISC in Würzburg.

Centrifugation based separation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and carbon black for lithium-ion battery recycling

The manuscript of Andreas Wolf (Fraunhofer ISC part of the group and in future also in our group at FAU) et al. on centrifugation based separation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and carbon black for lithium-ion battery recycling  was just accepted in Chemical Engineering and Processing - Process In...
Review Article on “Supraparticles for Sustainability” accepted

The New Year 2021 starts with acceptance in Advanced Functional Materials of our new Review Article on "Supraparticles for Sustainability".
In this Review Article, our group outlined the power of supraparticles to contribute to sustainability - including a definition of sustainability derived from ...
New project funded: Inductively Heatable Protective Films to Combat COVID-19

We were granted a new project by the Volkswagen-Stiftung on induction heating to fight Corona viruses. Find out more here.
Modulation of Crystallinity and Optical Properties in Composite Materials Combining Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and Dye-Containing Covalent Organic Frameworks

Just accepted for publication: Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) from the Beuerle Group meet magnetic particles:

Roberto Sanchez Naya, Vladimir Stepanenko, Karl Mandel, Florian Beuerle*
Modulation of Crystallinity and Optical Properties in Composite Materials Combining Iron Oxide Nano...
Oxidative Precipitation as a Versatile Method to Obtain Ferromagnetic Fe3O4 Nano- and Mesocrystals Adjustable in Morphology and Magnetic Properties.

By using only simple chemicals along with carefully controlling synthesis parameters, a whole zoo of different magnetic iron oxide particle types can be obtained as demonstrated by Tim Granath et. al. in our work that was just accepted by Particle and Particle Systems Characterization, entitled Oxid...
A supraparticle-based five-level-identification tag that switches information

Everyone knows barcodes to store information and scratchcards to hide information. In our latest work, just accepted in Advanced Optical Materials, Franziska Miller et al. transfer these well-known principles to the supraparticle world to generate a supraparticle-based five-level-identification tag ...
AK Mandel thanks for student support in 2020

We sincerely thank all students that were curious enough to check out the new group in Erlangen – the Mandel group - to work with. Your contribution to our many projects was very much appreciated. Great work everybody!

Thanks goes to:

Hannes Bauer, Jianing Bao, Sara Li Deuso, Frederic Dietrich...
New cover art – Journal of Materials Chemistry C

Our research on „the all white magnet” was selected as cover in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C.
New cover art – Advanced Photonics Research

Our research on abrasion indicator supraparticles is highlighted as cover in Advanced Photonics Research.
Group photo of the year 2020

Group photo of the year 2020 – due to Corona safety measures this year via zoom screenshot.

Professorship for Inorganic Chemistry The Supraparticle Group

Prof. Dr. Karl Mandel

Research area

Professorship for
Inorganic Chemistry
The Supraparticle Group