IZNF researchers successful with large third-party funded consortia
The Interdisciplinary Center for Nanostructured Films (IZNF) started its activities in 2019 as a community of researchers sharing a novel building at FAU and as a section of the Competence Center ‘Engineering of Advanced Materials’, associated with the Profile Center ‘FAU New Materials and Processes’. Its stated goal was clear: concentrate local research activities dedicated to the coating and patterning methods and generate a network that supports the emergence of synergies in this field. The success of this vision became obviously apparent after the recent decisions by the German Science Foundation (DFG) to fund the Coordinated Research Center ‘ChemPrint’ (CRC1719), led by Prof. Julien Bachmann, and the Research Training Group ‘CorMic’ (GRK3103), led by Prof. Erdmann Spiecker.
The new CRC “ChemPrint – Next-generation printed semiconductors: Atomic-level engineering via molecular surface chemistry” shall develop printable semiconductor materials using tailored chemical synthesis and deposition processes from liquid solutions under mild conditions. They will achieve this by selecting suitable molecular reagents programmed to deliver individual atoms to specific locations. In this respect, molecules behave as nanoscale robots that assemble parts in the workshop. Such methods offer many advantages including materials economy, technological simplicity, and energy efficiency. Semiconductor materials perform all the work in computers and cell phones, but also in solar cells and sensors of all kinds.
The new RTG “CorMic – Correlative Materials Microscopy” will develop, teach, and employ cutting-edge microscopy and spectroscopy techniques — using electrons, X-rays, and light — to explore both the inner architecture and the working principles of energy conversion materials. By combining these tools in a correlative approach, the team aim to unveil how microscopic structure governs material performance. Artificial intelligence will support this effort by detecting patterns and hidden relationships in the complex imaging and measurement data. The insight gained will help accelerate the development of more efficient materials — and in turn, more powerful technologies for a sustainable energy future.
For more information:
https://www.dfg.de/en/service/press/press-releases/2025/press-release-no-11
https://www.dfg.de/de/service/presse/pressemitteilungen/2025/pressemitteilung-nr-15