Levkin Research Group of Biofunctional Materials

Manipulating tiny amounts of liquids (droplets), gas samples (bubbles), or even small quantities of solids on surfaces is a huge challenge. However, it is of paramount importance for diagnostics, analytics, lab-on-a-chip applications, and miniaturization in general.

In this paper, we introduce a new, simple yet powerful method: CART (Carrier-based Actuatable and Reprogrammable Transport). This method allows for the manipulation of small droplets, bubbles, and tiny solid samples. It has the advantage of not depending on the type of surface and type of cargo, as we use tiny magnetically actuatable “boats” or CARTs that effortlessly transport droplets, bubbles, or solids across different solid surfaces and even liquid interfaces, whether flat or curved! 🤯

Congrats to Nikolaj K Mandsberg and Julián A. Serna! 💪🫶

Read the full article here.

We have enhanced the temperature responsiveness of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogels by incorporating hierarchical porosity into the polymer. Nanometer-sized pores were created through polymerization-induced phase separation, while larger pores were formed using 3D printing. This has resulted in PNIPAM 3D structures that exhibit very fast temperature-responsiveness, despite their macroscopic size. Check out our latest paper. Read the full article here.

Congratulations to Razan and Anna for winning the best poster award at the SLAS conference in Barcelona! ?

Annual ECLIPSE meeting in beutiful Sicily - EIC Pathfinder EU Project: https://eclipse-project.eu/

In this work, we continued to develop the method for fabricating functional porous 3D structures. In this ChemComm paper, we extended our approach to the thiol-ene chemistry, which surprisingly enhanced the mechanical properties of the macroporous 3D structures, compared to their polymethacrylate counterparts. More details in the publication: „3D printing of reactive macroporous polymers via thiol-ene chemistry and polymerization-induced phase separation“. Congratulations to Nikolaj K Mandsberg and Fatma Aslan! ???? Read the full article here.

Two more patents from the Levkin Group have been granted. Congratulations to all the inventors!

 A: „Patterned substrate having hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas and method for producing the same“. – method for making hydrophilic and omniphobic patterns for confining organic solvents.
European Patent Nr. 3 205 394
Inventors: Pavel Levkin, Wenqian Feng, Linxian Li 

B: “Patterned substate having hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas” – method for making SH-SL patterns for aqueous solutions
European Patent Nr. 3 733 277
Inventors: Pavel Levkin, Michael Grunze, Zheqin Dong, Konstantin Demir, Simon Widmaier, Marius Brehm, Anna Popova

Check out Joaquin, Pavel, and Anna´s paper in Droplet on a Digital Twin of a Droplet Microarray where we study different aspects of the behavior of arrays of nanoliter droplets. Fantastic collaboration with the Britta Nestler´s group. Read the full article here.

Our traditional annual winter group retreat in the Black Forest. It was fantastic — talks, scientific discussions, brainstorming, hikes, games, cooking, and time spent together with the group <3

Our very own Dr. Janne Wiedmann recently won the prize for the best poster at the EFMC-ASMC International Symposium on Advances and Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry (September 2023, Zagreb) ? We are super proud of you - well done! :)

https://www.efmc-asmc.org/prizes

Prof. Levkin participates in the World Laureate Forum (WLF) in Shanghai (https://2023.wlaforum.com/en), which brings together about 200 scientists from all over the world including many recipients of prestigious awards, such as the Nobel Prize, the Turing Award, the Wolf Prize, the Breakthrough Prize, the Fields Medal, etc. The WLF is committed to "promote basic science, advocate for international cooperation, and support the development of youth".

A very warm welcome to the newest member of our family, Tatiana Starikova! We are very excited to work with you and look forward to being a part of your wonderful scientific journey. Welcome! :D

Prof. Levkin discusses about our recent development of UV-based method for the degradation and recycling of diapers (superabsorbers) on Programm BR24: Click for audio file

News articles (click to read articles): 

• Scientists improve diaper recycling
  
• Diapers reloaded: 200 times faster recycling with light - Recycled plastic molecules can be used in many way
• Windeln reloaded: 200-mal schneller recyceln mit Licht – Recycelte Kunststoffmoleküle vielseitig einsetzbar
• Diapers transformed into raw materials by light
• Windeln 200-mal schneller recyceln mit Licht
• KIT: Windeln reloaded: 200-mal schneller recyceln mit Licht
• Windeln durch Licht in Rohstoffe verwandelt
• Vielseitig anwendbar: Recycelte Polymere aus Windeleinlagen
• So kann man Superabsorber aus vollen Windeln recyceln
• Wie man Windeln zu Verdickungsmitteln und Haftklebstoffen recyclen kann

Read the full article here.

2 million tons (yearly) of non-recyclable superabsorbers (diapers) may no longer end up in landfills or incinerators. We report a rapid UV-based recycling method for sodium polyacrylate hydrogels, accelerating the degradation time by 200x. No chemicals, just water and UV! The product of pampers degradation is soluble sodium polyacrylate with numerous applications - from eco-friendly dyes to pressure-sensitive adhesives. This simple new approach is fast, scalable, and green, promising a sustainable future for these polymers. Read the full article here.

Congratulations to Zhenwu, whose paper on “High-Performance Pressure Sensors based on Shaped Gel Droplet Arrays” has been accepted in Small! Great job! We wish you all the best in your new Postdoc position at Harvard.

Congratulations to Julius Höpfner! His paper "On-chip palladium-catalyzed synthesis of biphenyls in nanoscale" has been just accepted for publication in Small. Well done, Julius!

Biggest congratulations! ??? 

Julius is a Master's student that recently joined us for his thesis. He is a Mechanical Engineer interested in tissue engineering and biofabrication. Hurray and welcome! :) 

Mariia's paper just got published in Macromolecular Materials and Engineering! :)

Here, Mariia and coauthor explore polymer structures with nano-, micro-, and macroporosity, fabricated via 3D printing, for lightweight materials with high mechanical durability. The relationship between pore size, density, and stiffness is investigated, highlighting the potential for further research on lattice architectures and other printing methods. 

Biggest congratulations! ??? Link to paper.

We recently created a Twitter account for our group - stay easily up to date by following us - click here!

Matthew Morben from Doane University just joined us as an intern for the Summer. Excited to have you with us :D