Shaping the Future of Interfaces: LFG researchers win awards at the DECHEMA annual working group meeting

From March 6 to 7, 2025, the annual meeting of the DECHEMA/VDI working groups on Gas Cleaning, Mechanical Liquid Separation, and Interface-Determined Systems and Processes was held at DECHEMA House in Frankfurt am Main. Bringing together a wide range of participants—from major companies and innovative startups to research institutions and universities—the meeting proved once again to be an indispensable national forum for sharing cutting-edge advancements and fostering vibrant collaborations between industry and academia. 

LFG researchers participated with a total of six contributions (see below), underscoring our commitment to advancing both fundamental and application-oriented knowledge. We are particularly proud that two of our doctoral researchers were selected for awards. Frederic Rudlof won the Poster Prize in the “Interfaces” category for his poster titled “Is there really segregation? – Determining the Organization of Binary Colloidal Supraparticles by matters of Diffusiophoresis and Channel Formation.” Frederik’s work at the Vogel Lab sheds new light on how colloidal particles arrange themselves as solvent evaporates, offering deeper insights into the design of supraparticulate materials with highly tunable properties. Meanwhile, Monika Stadelmaier received the Presentation Prize for her talk on “Morphological Stability of Thin Noble Metal Patches on Curved Substrates.” Her presentation highlighted the delicate interplay of interfaces in metal-decorated nanoparticles, an area with broad potential in photonics, catalysis, and medical diagnostics. By revealing strategies to stabilize these patches, Monika’s work in the Nanostructured Particles Research Group paves the way for more robust plasmonic products. 

Another high point was the keynote lecture which opened the meeting and which was given by our recently retired institute head, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Peukert. He traced a fascinating path in product design, beginning with his early doctoral research on filtration and culminating in advanced approaches for separating functional nanoparticles championed by the Collaborative Research Center 1411 “Design of Particulate Products” which Wolfgang successfully established in 2020.

All in all, this year’s conference confirmed that both foundational studies and cutting-edge research are crucial elements driving the future of chemical engineering and thanks to the excellent networking opportunities provided by DECHEMA, this event remains a cornerstone of our scientific outreach calendar. 

Contributions by LFG Members 

• Particle interactions in separation and fractionation of particles from gases and liquids
  Keynote lecture by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Peukert in the plenary session. 

• Analyzing the Stability and Agglomeration of Metal Oxide NPs by Analytical (Ultra) Centrifugation 
  Oral presentation by Dr. Lisa Stiegler in the session “Interface-Determined Systems and Processes: Characterization” 

• Morphological Stability of Thin Noble Metal Patches on Curved Substrates 
  Oral presentation by Monika Stadelmaier in the session “Interface-Determined Systems and Processes: Processes” 

• Influence of defects and mechanical damage on the antifouling behaviour of Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces (SLIPS)
  Oral presentation by Daniel Platzer in the session “Interface-Determined Systems and Processes: Interface-Enabled Applications.” 

• Membrane Emulsification for Colloidal Supraparticles Fabrication
  Poster flash talk and presentation by Naveen Parinamipura Mahadevappa in the session “Interface-Determined Systems and Processes” 

• Is there really segregation? – Determining the Organization of Binary Colloidal Supraparticles by matters of Diffusiophoresis and Channel Formation
  Poster presentation by Frederic Rudlof in the session “Interface-Determined Systems and Processes”