Events

Ionization / neutralization induced Dynamics

Ionization and neutralization events can trigger intricate structural rearrangement dynamics in isolated molecular and cluster systems, thus, driving chemical evolution even under low temperature conditions. [more]

Correlated Motions of Electrons, Spins, and Dipoles in 2D vdW Materials

Correlation plays a central role in emergent phenomena. Examples include, among others, quantum ground states and collective excitations. Here, I will discuss what we can learn from time-domain views of correlation in two dimensional (2D) vdW materials. In the 2D vdW magnetic semiconductor, CrSBr, excitonic transition is found to strongly couple to magnetic order [1] and this allows the easy detection of low energy (GHz-THz) magnons by visible-NIR light [2]. [more]

Reverse Water Gas Shift Activity of FexNi Catalysts on Metal Oxide-Overlayered γ-Al2O3 Supports

Power-to-Liquid (PtL) processes, which produce liquid fuels from captured CO₂ and green H₂ via methanol synthesis or Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, offer a promising route to sustainable carbon-based energy carriers for sectors that cannot be readily electrified. [more]

The A+ Upgrade to Advanced LIGO and Applications of Hydroxide Catalysis Bonding

Advanced LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) is designed to measure the quadrupolar strain of space itself arising from passing gravitational waves and in 2015 made the first observation of a binary black hole merger [Abbot et al, Phys Rev A, 116, 061102 (2016)]. [more]

Shedding Infrared Light on Molecules: From Molecular Polaritons to Hyperspectral Imaging

Mid-Infrared (MIR) light can interact with molecules by selectively exciting molecular vibrational modes. On one hand, in combination with photonic structures, MIR can target specific vibrational states of molecular to influence chemical reactions; on the other hand, IR spectroscopy has long been used as a molecular sensing tool. In this talk, I will discuss recent advancement in my lab, focusing on these two key topics. In the first topic, I will explain how photonic environments can modify molecular dynamics through strong light-matter coupling. This strong coupling leads to the molecular vibrational polaritons – a hybrid quasiparticle between light and matter. Using two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy, we have demonstrated that strong coupling to photonic environments can efficiently promote energy transfer within or between molecules, subsequently slowing down competing reaction pathways. This research provide insights into designing photonic structures to modify chemical landscapes and influence reaction pathways. In the second topic, I will present the latest development in fast-scanning vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) microscopy, tailored to differentiate collagen tissues in healthy and tumorous conditions. We revealed distinct spectral signatures between healthy and tumorous tissues, which arise from the coherent nature of VSFG signals – akin of a microscopic Young’s double slit experiment. VSFG’s unique power to resolve varying alignments of collagen fibrils empowers it as a distinctive label-free technique for tumor identification in the future. [more]

ISC Seminar: Prof. Vinayak P. Dravid

  • ISC Department Seminar
  • Date: Aug 29, 2025
  • Time: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Prof. Vinayak P. Dravid
  • Abraham Harris Chaired Professor I Department of Materials Science & Engineering I McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science I Founding Director, NUANCE Center & SHyNE Resource I Founder and Co-Director; Global McCormick I Northwestern University, AB Wing A190 Technological Institute, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208
  • Location: Building P
  • Room: Seminar Room
  • Host: Interface Science Department
  • Topic: Discussion and debate formats, lectures
  • Contact: nikolaus@fhi-berlin.mpg.de
(Lecture Title to be announced) [more]

TH-Seminar: Prof. Dr. Vasiliki Tileli

German-New Zealand Green Hydrogen / He Honoka Hauwai & Catalysts for H2 production and CO2 reduction

The increasingly severe impacts of climate change demand us to: (a) reduce energy use (b) decarbonise existing high emissions industrial processes and (c) rapidly replace of our present range of carbon-emitting fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) by a suite of carbon-zero and carbon-neutral fuels. [more]

TH-Seminar: Prof. Lars Borchardt

With the aim of enabling vital exchange of emerging expertise, the international conference “Challenges on Renewable Energy Storage” was set up. Following the first two gatherings of this kind in 2022 and 2024, the meeting will continue to bring together front runners of the fields catalysis and electrocatalysis, allowing them to exchange views on the most recent advancements, as well as to renew the necessary interdisciplinary networks. [more]
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