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    GRK 3144: Multiscale Imaging and Analytics of Interfaces in Musculoskeletal Health
    The interdisciplinary Research Training Group (RTG) program entitled "Multiscale Imaging and Analytics of Interfaces in Musculoskeletal Health" extends beyond traditional assessments of bone quantity and density to investigate the complexities of musculoskeletal integrity. This program seeks to understand the interactions between bones, muscles, tendons, fat, and vessels, including their interfaces. By integrating biomedical and technological insights, the program aims to drive innovation in diagnostics and preventive healthcare. Its research objectives include exploring the muscle-fat-bone axis, the tendon-bone interface, the role of vascularization in skeletal health, advanced imaging techniques, models for tissue interfaces, and the use of posture and motion as health indicators. Graduates will gain proficiency in state-of-the-art imaging, disease modeling, and machine learning techniques focused on interfaces, equipping them for addressing global challenges in medicine and technology. The Qualification Program is designed to train a new generation of interdisciplinary STEM scientists in musculoskeletal research. Spanning three cohorts over nine years, it emphasizes skill development in interdisciplinary project management, research ethics, and foundational musculoskeletal research knowledge. Networking opportunities are facilitated through workshops, industry excursions, and international conferences. The inclusion of a Mercator fellow position and the involvement of physicians promote international collaboration and research profile development. This program prepares students for careers in research, teaching, and industry, with a strong emphasis on ethical conduct, collaborative skills, and independence. Located in Hamburg, the RTG benefits from the Interdisciplinary Competence Center for Interface Research (ICCIR) and operates across five laboratory campuses in Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg-Harburg, and Hamburg’s Science City Bahrenfeld. The University Medical Center Hamburg (UKE) provides an interdisciplinary research environment, laboratory facilities, and high-resolution imaging tools. The Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) specializes in engineering sciences, with a focus on artificial intelligence, data analysis, and computational modeling. Hereon, a member of the Helmholtz Association, offers large-scale facilities for synchrotron science and bone interface research. Hamburg's strategic positioning, robust research infrastructure, and collaborative culture create an optimal setting for musculoskeletal research. The RTG is committed to promoting diversity and gender equality, providing support and initiatives for female scientists. Our interdisciplinary approach not only strengthens healthcare and technological innovation but also prepares graduates for significant roles in academic and corporate research sectors, benefiting both the local and global research communities.
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    EXC 3120 BlueMat - Research Topic B1: Tunable Water Condensation and Evaporation
    Evaporative flows at porous surfaces are significantly influenced by the liquid surface exposed to the vapor phase and the vapor pressure of the liquid at the interface, with additional contributions from hydraulic permeability and hydrophilicity within the porous structure. Our goal is to actively control water condensation and evaporation at the vapor-exposed surfaces of structured materials. The key scientific questions are: How can we fabricate 3D structured porous materials systems that – depending on electrical, photonic, or chemical (pH) stimuli – change their evaporative behavior? How can we characterize, understand, and predict water condensation and evaporation (and drying) across scales? How can we achieve tailor-made switching times, imbibition-drying cycles, and minimal energy losses from viscous dissipation?
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    EXC 3120 BlueMat - Research Topic D3: Hydrovoltaics
    BlueMat aims to revolutionize hydrovoltaics by developing next-generation hydrovoltaic material technologies. Our goal within D3 is to create high-performance, multiscale, porous materials and innovative hydrovoltaic device architectures to efficiently harness electrical energy from humidity variations, imbibition and drying cycles. We will systematically evaluate their energy conversion performance under varying humidity levels, temperatures, and operating conditions. Our research will focus on reducing imbibition–drying cycle times while enhancing energy output by leveraging humidity variations and low-grade waste heat. This interdisciplinary program aims to advance hydrovoltaics through cutting-edge experimentation, addressing key challenges, and unlocking new opportunities for sustainable energy generation from ambient environmental sources. We will develop highly adapted material architectures to optimize power, addressing issues like minimum friction, salt crystallization upon drying, or evaporation using aqueous electrolytes or water itself. The efforts in D3 aim to improve energy conversion efficiency, durability, and scalability of hydrovoltaic applications, paving the way for widespread deployment in diverse environmental settings. The key scientific questions include: How can we exploit novel hydrovoltaic mechanisms to generate energy from cyclic imbibition and desiccation of electrolyte-infused porous media? How do non-equilibrium fluid dynamics, surface chemistry, open-circuit potential, and other fundamental factors, including the interaction of imbibition and drying influenced by pore characteristics and external stimuli, affect the proposed scheme? How can we optimize the performance of the hydrovoltaic scheme using concepts like hierarchically porous electrodes and adaptive pore wall coatings?
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    EXC 3120 BlueMat - Research Topic B3: Tunable Hydraulic and Capillarity-Driven Water Flow
    In conventional porous media, hydraulic permeability and capillary pressure during imbibition are determined by static geometry, water–solid interaction, and fluid viscosity. RT B3 aims to integrate mechanisms for stimulus-dependent changes in the pore size and solid- liquid interaction, resulting in tunable permeability and hydrophilicity-induced changes of local capillary forces. Combining this strategy with multiscale 3D structuring and local interface modification will enable materials that can locally and reversibly switch imbibition ability and kinetics. Challenges include the fabrication of multiscale 3D structures and precise hydrophilicity change at local levels. This RT focuses on understanding dynamic fluid–solid interactions upon reversible tuning by external stimuli in 3D multiscale porous structures. Key questions include: How can we explore the water–solid interfacial structure and measure the impact of tunable pore size and hydrophilicity on fluid transport? How can we tailor the flow and permeability rates by adjusting multiscale porosity (“Murray vascularization”) and response to stimuli? How can we fabricate structured 3D (nano)porous materials with locally and reversibly tunable permeability and hydrophilicity?
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    EXC 3120 BlueMat - Research Topic B2: Selective Electrosorption
    Reversible electrochemical processes offer promising options in water treatment for removing oxyanions, dissolved organic carbon, and partial desalination by ion adsorption. Sorbent effectiveness depends on pore size, volume, surface area, and charge. However, current electrode fabrication processes limit control over multiscale porosity and surface charge, reducing their effectiveness in selective ion removal. Additionally, these properties are static, limiting adaptivity to avoid clogging and the ability to switch between adsorption and desorption. This RT advances the field by tailoring multiscale porosity of material systems for utilization as selective ion adsorbents and membrane filters. Innovative control of adsorption and desorption via adjustable surface potentials and selective ion sorption will transform materials into reversible, selective electrosorption systems. This facilitates strategic ion removal with low energy consumption, like lithium from seawater, marking a significant leap in harvesting engineering-valuable elements. The key scientific questions are: How can we functionalize 3D structured materials with locally and reversibly tunable adsorption and desorption of water-dissolved ions? How can we study the ion structure (+ hydration shell) and the spatiotemporal ion concentration evolution under electric potential and external flow, as well as the coupling of both, in a multiscale porous medium? How can we use multiscale modeling for functional optimization of materials for fast ion adsorption and desorption and low electrode degeneration rates resulting either in selective removal (water treatment) or selective ion (element) harvesting?
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    EXC 3120 BlueMat - Research Topic C4: Scattering of Visible Light by Control of Water Distribution
    Porous media with periodic or random structures comparable to the wavelength of light can provide spectrally selective scattering. Here, the optical response or color is no longer dictated by the base materials but by the pore shape, orientation, and arrangement, as well as by pore filling. Embedding water into the pore space and controlling its distribution at the nm- and ?m-scale allows for modifying the scattering, thus opening new possibilities to dynamically adjust or switch optical appearance. Previously, water has only been used to slightly shift the spectral response of periodic media upon water infiltration. However, here, we plan to go beyond this state of the art, achieving broadband control of the spectral response and even switching the color on and off. In this respect, we aim to achieve a similar functionality as in the skin of chameleons or cephalopods, but using water in porous media. The key scientific questions are: How can we design and fabricate structures with self-organized multiscale porosity to have defined optical appearance? How can we control water distribution in multiscale porous framework structures to switch this optical appearance? How can we utilize these effects for switchable structural color and opacity, including adaptive functionality?
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    EXC 3120 BlueMat - Research Topic D1: Energy Storage in Supercapacitors
    We will create advanced electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) using environmentally friendly materials and aqueous electrolytes. These supercapacitors, known for their rapid charging rates, high power density, and long cycle life, demand high-performance electrolytes and electrode materials. To prevent electrolyte decomposition, we will study high-concentration water-in-salt solutions and strong confinement. A combination of electrochemical studies, advanced in-situ/in-operando techniques, and molecular modeling will help us to understand the hydration/dehydration processes and ion transport dynamics, which are crucial for forming and structuring the EDL. Additionally, we introduce the consideration of the role of strong confinement on the electrolyte dielectric properties and optimize the microstructure of nanoporous carbons and clay-carbon composites to achieve highly energy-dense supercapacitors. Key scientific questions include: How does ion hydration influence EDL structure? Is there a specific dehydration mechanism for ions? How can ion-ion interactions be tuned, and how do they affect EDL formation? What is the impact of carbon porosity on the performance of waterin- salt electrolytes in EDLCs? Is there a correlation between the degree of carbon graphitization and EDL structure? How do the dielectric properties water and electrolyte solutions change with strong confinement in natural 2D materials?
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    EXC 3120 BlueMat - Research Topic C1: Tunable Microwave and MIR Permittivity by Control of Water Distribution
    The nanoporous structures considered in BlueMat are orders of magnitude smaller than the wavelength of microwave and MIR radiation. Thus, we will utilize water-driven materials in the effective medium regime. In the microwave range, bulk water has a high permittivity of 80, attributed to the reorientation of water dipoles. The permittivity is expected to become anisotropic at interfaces, with the component orthogonal to the interface reducing to 2. Utilizing samples with anisotropic porosity, e.g., porous silica and alumina, we envisage for the first time experimentally clarifying this water anisotropy. In the MIR range, the permittivity of bulk water reduces to 2, but water is characterized by significant absorption with an attenuation length in the order of 10 ?m. We intend to employ polyolefin aerogels, which have intrinsically high transmittance in the MIR range, and add optical tunability via reversible adsorption of water on the surface of the aerogel. The key scientific questions are: How can we control the complex permittivity of water and its anisotropy by nanoconfinement? How can we utilize water and its confinement to tune the effective permittivity of nanostructured media? How can we utilize these effects to switch microwaves and thermal radiation?
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    EXC 3120 BlueMat - Research Topic C2: Tunable MIR and NIR Permittivity by Electrochemical Oxidation and Hydrogen Insertion
    In this RT, we will electrochemically modify the optical properties of materials interacting with water. Specifically, the reversible partial oxidation of Cu photonic structures in aqueous electrolytes will be studied. Cu has IR reflectivity comparable to gold and can be reversibly oxidized. In this case, the complex effective permittivity of porous Cu will be tuned via changes in the metal filling fraction and metal electron collision frequency, known as chemical interface damping (CID). Furthermore, we will investigate the reversible and controlled hydrogen insertion from water into porous photonic hybrid structures. We will induce the formation of hydrogen bronzes within vanadium dioxide, changing it from a dielectric to metallic state. Later, hydrogen-induced reduction will be also explored to tune the optical properties of titanium dioxide. The hydrogen insertion will be driven by water-based electrochemistry and by thermal treatments in water-containing vapor. The structures considered will be much smaller than the wavelength and, thus, will work in an effective medium regime. The change of the effective permittivity from a metallic to dielectric state in both cases will allow the control of NIR and MIR absorption. The key scientific questions are: How can we strongly and reversibly tune IR absorption of porous Cu via electrochemical oxidation? How can we induce a reversible phase transition in VO2 and TiO2 via hydrogen insertion? How can we utilize nanoscale structures to increase the tuning rate and amplitude?
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    EXC 3120 BlueMat - Research Topic D4: Photo- and Electrocatalysis in Hierarchical Matter
    Nature often performs complex catalytic reactions in confined spaces and hierarchical structures with the use of enzymes and membranes. In RT D4, we will develop Blue Materials that emulate the confined, hierarchical environments of biological systems to achieve unprecedented levels of catalytic performance. By combining material synthesis, characterization, and catalytic testing, we will leverage multiscale structures for optimized catalysis. We will unravel the complex behavior of reactants, including water, in confined spaces and their interactions with nanostructured materials. The key questions are: How do properties of water in confined spaces affect water- and proton-dependent reactions? How does confined space affect the EDL, the reaction activity and selectivity, and the properties of catalytic materials, reactants, and products? And how can we harness these properties to achieve more selective and durable catalysts?
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