Welcome to the Nickel Research Group. We use x-rays to study advanced materials. Our special interest is to understand the formation of complex materials and their structural response to external stimuly. We like soft matter physics and semiconductor devices.
We study the structure and function of new materials. For this purpose, we run a state-of-the-art x-ray lab at LMU in Munich, and we travel for experiments to synchrotron radiation facilities such as DESY in Hamburg and ESRF in Grenoble. For specific questions we also use neutron diffraction. In the field of semiconductor materials, our focus is on the nucleation and growth of colloidal quantum dots, which we study by small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), Bragg diffraction, and total scattering. Furthermore, we develop new fabrication schems for organic field effect transistors and characterize their thin film and interface structure by x-ray surface diffraction. In the field of biophysics, we study the folding and unfolding of rather large DNA origami structures, and their silicification and actuation by solvents. Another soft matter system that we study intensively are lipid assemblies. Here, our present focus is on empolying photoswitchable lipids to induce phase transitions in lipid assemblies. Here is a link to all our publications: Orcid-ID
We continuously offer master and bachelor thesis for these topics, please have a look in the list of past topics below. You will learn how to use x-ray diffraction techniques and advanced optical characterization methods. Some projects also require clean room fabrication techniques and electrical transport measurements. Many of our projects involve recording of experimental data by instruments that we build ourselves from highly specialized modules within a Master or PhD thesis. You will also learn about data processing and data analysis by scientific software. Many project reqiure adaptation of python scripts.
Our X-ray lab features two SAXS setups for research and a Laue experiment dedicated to teaching. We can also measure powder XRD, X-ray reflectometry, and grazing incidence SAXS and WAXS. If you’re interested in using any of these methods for your research, please reach out to Bert Nickel.
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Frank, Kilian | PhD Student |
| Kammerbauer, Theresa | PhD Student |
| Kostyurina, Ekaterina | Postdoc |
| Nickel, Bert | Chair of Experimental Physics - Soft Condensed Matter |
| Reisner, Veronika | PhD Student |
| Rescher, Lukas | Master Student |
Collection of all PhD/ Master/ Bachelor Theses etc. of the Nickel Group