10-Oct-2022

Synthetic – i. e. artificially produced - cells can imitate certain functions of biological cells. These synthetic cells could open up new medical possibilities in the future. In laboratories, such cells can already help in chemical processes on a miniature scale as "mini-reactors". Scientists at ...

more

Choosing the right proteins can improve the mouthfeel of vegetarian sausages

25-Jul-2022

The right crack of the sausage is, not least, a matter of physics. A team from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz has investigated how the properties of plant proteins influence the mouthfeel of vegetarian and vegan sausages. Using the findings this revealed, the first ...

more

Leap in knowledge of peptide nanofibrils

03-Jun-2022

Viruses help researchers to introduce genes into cells so that they can produce active pharmaceutical ingredients, for example. Special peptides stimulate the process. Until now, however, the efficiency increase was poorly understood. A team of researchers from the MPI for Polymer Research, the ...

more

How water-repellent coatings can reduce foaming in industrial processes

21-Jan-2022

While foam is certainly desirable in the bathtub or on beer, preventing foam - for example in industrial processes - is a much-discussed topic. Often, oils or particles are added to liquids to prevent foaming. If these are harmful to health or the environment, they must be removed again using ...

more

How water surfaces can be used to produce functional materials

19-Oct-2021

The production of high-quality monolayers – i.e. only one molecule high - is highly relevant for optoelectronic components such as organic light-emitting diodes used today in modern cell phones: Both lifetime and energy efficiency can be increased. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for ...

more

Synergistic anticancer therapy with two cell killer agent systems in one nanocapsule

15-Oct-2020

In their quest to destroy cancer cells, researchers are turning to combinational therapies more and more. Scientists from Germany and China have now combined a chemotherapeutic and photodynamic approach. All agents are encapsulated in nanocapsules with a protein shell to be delivered to the ...

more

How the investigation of ion oscillations can lead to better batteries

07-Apr-2020

Electrolytes play a key role in many areas: They are crucial for the storage of energy in our body as well as in batteries. In order to release energy, ions - charged atoms - must move in a liquid such as water. Until now the precise mechanism by which they move through the atoms and molecules of ...

more

Scientists uncover a novel and generic mechanism for the division of artificial cells into two daughter cells

21-Feb-2020

The success of life on earth is based on the amazing ability of living cells to divide themselves into two daughter cells. During such a division process, the outer cell membrane has to undergo a series of morphological transformations that ultimately lead to membrane fission. Scientists at the ...

more

25-Sep-2019

For applications such as light-emitting diodes or solar cells, organic materials are nowadays in the focus of research. These organic molecules could be a promising alternative to currently used semiconductors such as silicon or germanium and are used in OLED displays. A major problem is that in ...

more

Tiny diamonds can cross the blood-brain barrier and be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in the brain

03-Sep-2019

The recording of images of the human brain and its therapy in neurodegenerative diseases is still a major challenge in current medical research. The so-called blood-brain barrier, a kind of filter system of the body between the blood system and the central nervous system, constrains the supply of ...

more