Advanced Materials and functional colloids at BASF

Starting with two colloidal systems where detailed structure-property relationships guided the optimization of a functional material, the third part of the talk sketches the materials areas where BASF is seeking academic partnerships. Focus areas for multi-material systems in general include heat management, lightweight composites and materials for personal care, electronics, construction or water treatment.
The first exemplary topic addresses the self-assembly mechanisms of synthetic Hydrophobin proteins in their 'dirty' application environment. These proteins invert the hydrophobicity of solid surfaces and are a powerful co-surfactant in e.g. emulsions to enhance the interface elastic modulus. The second part discusses the formulation and fractionation of nanotubes and inorganic crystallization seed particles, where non-covalent ligands adsorb in different geometries, exchange against each other and thus enhance the specificity of individualization and effectiveness.