Numerous plastics are principally biodegradable, but are only degraded very slowly in the open air, wastewater, or composting plants. Known enzymes with the ability to degrade plastics could solve this problem. To do so, however, they must be able to withstand high temperatures. An interdisciplinary team from the Collaborative Research Center "Microplastics" at the University of Bayreuth has now presented new methods in the journal "Biomacromolecules" that are a crucial prerequisite for protecting enzymes from high heat. If enzymes are thermally stable, they can be added to biodegradable plastics during production and later accelerate natural degradation.
The German Research Foundation (DFG) will again fund the Collaborative Research Center 1357 "Microplastics" at the University of Bayreuth with approximately 13 million euros over the next four years. Established in 2019, the CRC investigates the increasing contamination of the environment by plastics worldwide and develops innovative solutions to counteract the resulting ecological, health and economic dangers. The close linking of interdisciplinary basic research with problem-related application research will enable well-founded risk assessments and further strengthen the transfer of knowledge to the public.
All superconductors known today that are used in research and industry are superconducting only below 150 degrees Kelvin (around minus 120 degrees Celsius). Materials that have this property at higher temperatures are therefore being sought worldwide. Based on theoretical modeling, hydrides have increasingly come into focus. An international research team led by scientists from the University of Bayreuth now reports in "Nature Communications" on new compounds of lanthanum and hydrogen synthesized under high pressures. The surprising structural analyses of these lanthanum hydrides will be able to further advance the search for new superconductors.
Acceptor layers made of oligomers can increase the performance of organic solar cells and ensure a long operating life at the same time. This is the result of a series of complex laboratory experiments conducted by materials scientists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). Organic solar cells are less complex to manufacture than conventional silicon modules and are considerably more versatile as they can be flexible and transparent. The researchers’ findings have been published in the journal ‘Nature Energy’.
Dr. Hannah Kurz, a graduate of the University of Bayreuth, has been awarded the Bavarian Culture Award in the field of science by Bayernwerk AG. She accepted the award at a festive evening event hosted by Bayernwerk on 10 November 2022 at the Eisbach Studios in Munich. The chemist, who is now a fellowship holder of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the University of Cambridge in Great Britain, was honoured for her doctoral thesis on light-emitting sensor materials. The research was performed at the University of Bayreuth within the workgroup of Prof. Dr. Birgit Weber (Inorganic Chemistry IV).
The University of Bayreuth, together with two Australian partner universities, the University of Melbourne and Monash University, is establishing a new International Research Training Group (IRTG) in the field of semiconductor research. The college will start in spring 2023 and will be funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with more than six million euros for an initial period of five years. Outstanding young talents from the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering will be able to apply from December 2022 for admission to the International Research Training Group and an associated position as a researcher with the aim of obtaining a doctorate.
Biodegradable microplastic particles in soils can lead to an increased rise in CO₂ emissions to the Earth's atmosphere. This is shown by an interdisciplinary study published in "Applied Soil Ecology" by the Collaborative Research Centre 1357 "Microplastics" at the University of Bayreuth. In this study, experts in soil ecology and ecological microbiology compare the effects of a conventional and a biodegradable plastic in different soils in a systematic way for the first time. The consequences for the microbial biomass in the soils, especially on bacteria and fungi, are also analyzed.
Dr. Sahar Salehi-Müller from the Department of Biomaterials at the University of Bayreuth has been awarded a Sicca Award by the Dry Eye and Surface Diseases Section of the Professional Association of Ophthalmologists in Germany (BVA). The expert in biofabrication and artificial tissue structures accepted the award at the annual congress of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) in October 2022 in Berlin. The Sicca Awards are sponsored by Bausch + Lomb GmbH in Berlin. They serve to support and motivate young scientists conducting research on sicca syndrome in German-speaking countries.
With 2.5 million euros from the European Research Council, Professor Vladimir Dyakonov will be able to pursue the development of a novel quantum sensor: The physicist was awarded an ERC Advanced Grant.
An innovative research project of the Chair of Ceramic Materials at the University of Bayreuth in cooperation with the SKZ Plastics Centre is investigating the transformation of additively manufactured green bodies into high-quality ceramics.
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