Who we are
Photo: Angela Thie
The FMF has been conducting application-oriented basic and goal-oriented contract research since 1989. As a central institution of the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg it is engaged in the field of new materials and material-related technologies across disciplines and faculties.
The six faculties of Mathematics and Physics, Engineering, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Biology, Environment and Natural Resources and Medicine are involved in this success story. The FMF is a platform for cooperation with other institutes of the University, the Freiburg-based Fraunhofer Institutes, the regional EUCOR-Universities and the industry. The infrastructure of the FMF makes it possible to network all research areas involved and thus achieve important goals together. There is worldwide demand for both the conversion from laboratory scale into industrial practice for a wide variety of components, as well as novel methods in the production of a wide variety of materials, or structural and functional materials, with tailored properties for a variety of applications.
The targeted variation of different properties of both organic and inorganic materials are used to realise specific solutions. These then lead to innovations creating a strong demand in the marketplace.
By producing specific nanoparticles, their derivatives and composites new applications could be developed in the field of medical diagnostics and analysis.
The sophisticated techniques developed by the FMF in the field of semiconductor technology are in great demand internationally.
At present, the FMF has 18 active scientific members (plus 11 associate members) whose research topics can be categorized into the following fields:
- Sustainable Materials, Biopolymers and bio-based materials
- Functional Interfaces
- Digital fabrication by multi-materials additive manufacturing and 4D-Printing
- Materials design inspired by Nature
- Micro-, Nano- and Detector Technology
- Simulation and modelling of complex material systems
- Carbon dioxide conversion, Catalysis for sustainable processing
- Functional materials for harvesting and storage of renewable energy
- Material-Systems for health care
There are three service groups which maintain the systems and work on their further development. This is to ensure the efficient use of the technical equipment within this dynamic environment. The service groups offer their services in the following fields: