Events
From Molecules to Materials: Research Course on Water-Driven Materials
February 25-26, 2026
This year’s DESY Research Course on Water gathered early-career researchers interested in water-driven materials. Held from 25 to 26 February 2026 at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), the course provided detailed insights into this emerging area of research. The course was specifically aimed at PhD students, postdocs, and early-career researchers, with a focus on “Water-Driven Materials.” Around 35 participants attended lectures and discussions that introduced cutting-edge research topics at the interface of water science and materials research. This platform offered an excellent opportunity to explore new developments, exchange ideas across disciplines, and foster collaborations within the international water science community. The Research Course complemented the broader CMWS Water Days conference held from 23 to 25 February 2026, which attracted approximately 85 researchers from around the world to discuss fundamental aspects of water and its critical in natural and technological systems. Participants also benefited from lab tours of DESY’s state-of-the-art experimental facilities, linking theoretical insights with practical applications. Together, the CMWS Water Days and the DESY Research Course on Water showcase Hamburg as an international hub for pioneering water science research.
The Invisible World of the Water Surface – A Public Evening Lecture
February 25, 2026
The surface of water is far more than a smooth boundary layer between liquid and air – it is a highly dynamic microcosm where molecules are constantly rearranging, forces are acting, and energy is being transformed. These processes on the sub-nanometer scale determine how water evaporates or condenses, how it interacts with solids, and how electrical energy can be stored or converted at interfaces. But how can this “invisible” world be investigated at all? Prof. Roland Netz, Freie Universität Berlin, demonstrated how modern atomistic simulations and theoretical models today make it possible to “see” the water surface with unprecedented resolution. This allows the dielectric, spectroscopic, and hydrodynamic properties of water to be determined firsthand – and experimental observations to be better understood. The insights open up new perspectives for energy and materials research: from more efficient electrochemical storage processes to a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms that make our everyday water so extraordinary. This public evening lecture was offered by BlueMat together with the Centre for Molecular Water Science (CMWS) as part of the CMWS Water DAYS 2026 and the CMWS Research Course 2026, and is part of the lecture series WISSENSWERTE.
Inauguration of the Cluster of Excellence "BlueMat: Water-Driven Materials"
February 9, 2026
On 9 February 2026, we celebrated the official opening of the BlueMat Cluster of Excellence. The programme included a welcome address by the President of TUHH, along with contributions from guests from politics and the scientific community.
Afterwards, we warmly invited all BlueMat members, partners and friends, to join us for a celebration to mark the launch of our Cluster of Excellence.
Time | Topic |
13:30 | Welcome and Opening Remarks |
13:40 | Welcome Address |
13:50 | Presentation of the Cluster of Excellence: “BlueMat” |
14:00 | “Blue Materials in Brilliant X-Ray Light” |
14:10 | Interview Film „I want you to feel lost“ Artist and Research Professor Julian Charrière |
14:20 | “Role of Water in the World” |
14:30 | Mini Science Slam Competition |
15:00 | "Summer 2021" |
15:15 | Award Ceremony and Closing Remarks |
15:45 | Get Together in the Foyer |
Talk by Ilya Okulov (Leibniz-IWT Bremen)
Friday, December 12th, 2025
10:30-11:45 h, DESY, Building 1b, 2. OG Seminar room 4a and b
Dr.-Ing. Ilya Okulov (Leibniz-IWT Bremen) will give a talk about "Hierarchical Materials via Additive Manufacturing and Liquid Metal Dealloying".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
Talk by Yan Ma (TU Delft)
Friday, November 28th, 2025
10:00-11:00 h, TUHH, Building M, Room M2589
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Yan Ma (TU Delft) will give a talk about "Sustainable alloy production via hydrogen-based reduction of metal oxides".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
November 5th, 16:00-17:00h, TUHH, Building A
Hamburger Horizonte: Water, the liquid that connects nature and technology
With a poster exhibition, laboratory tours, and short presentations, the event offers an overview of the diverse water research being conducted in Hamburg. The BlueMat Cluster of Excellence is developing sustainable “blue materials” that enable novel functions through the interaction of water with porous materials. Inspired by nature, applications such as energy-efficient windows and hydrovoltaics—the generation of electrical energy from changes in humidity—are being developed. The exhibition shows how even the smallest amounts of water can influence the appearance of materials – similar to a chameleon. In the “Circular Economy” CampusLab, water serves as a working medium in a biorefinery to extract raw materials such as sugar, cellulose, and lignin from biomass such as wood or straw. Other laboratory tours focus on water analysis and the removal of pollutants using innovative water treatment processes.
Find the TUHH program here.
June 23rd, 2025 9:45-11:15 h, TUHH, Building K, Room K0506
PD Dr. Michael Maas (Advanced Ceramics, University of Bremen, Germany) will give a talk about "Moisture-Swing CO2 Capture Using DFNS-Coated Hierarchically Porous Ceramics".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
June 19th, 2025, 15:00-16:30h, TUHH, Building B, Room B 0.001
CRC1615 Seminar
Prof. Frieder Mugele (University of Twente) will give a talk about "Switchable wettability for smart fluid control: from active electric field-controlled actuation to intrinsic adaptability and responsiveness".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
May 22nd, 2025, 11:30-13:00 h, TUHH, Building K, K0506
Colloquium of the CRC1615
Damien Toquer (Physics Laboratory of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (LPENS), Paris, France) will give a talk about "Electrostatic interactions and ionic transport in nanoconfined systems
Insights from numerical simulations".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
May 20th, 2025 16:00-17:30 h, TUHH, Building D, Room D0.013
Prof. Jacob Khurgin (Johns Hopkins University, USA) will give a talk about "Excited carriers in metals: from icy cold to comfortably warm to very hot".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF). The talk will also be available online.
May 13th, 2025 11:30-13:00 h, TUHH, Building K, Room K0506
Dr. Philip Loche (Laboratory of Computational Science and Modelling (COSMO), EPF Lausanne, Switzerland) will give a talk about "Data-driven molecular modelling from the bottom up".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
May 9th, 2025 15:00-17:00 h, TUHH, Building M, Room M1582
Prof. Qing Chen (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)) will give a talk about "An ion-selective metallic membrane".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
March 13, 2025, 15:00h, TUHH, Building A Room 0.13
Prof. Dr. Nina Balke (North Carolina State University, Raleigh/USA) will give a talk about "Exploring Solid-Liquid Interfaces: Insights from Atomic Force Microscopy".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
February 25-27, 2025, CMWS Water Days at DESY
The CMWS Water days will take place next month, 25-27 Feb 2025, at DESY. They are the forum to report and discuss the status and future developments of the Centre for Molecular Water Science (CMWS) and to engage with leading experts in water science. Prof. Patrick Huber will present BlueMat's research on the second day.
February 18, 2025, 15:00h, TUHH, Building A Room 0.13
Colloquium of the CRC1615
Prof. Dr. Volker Presser (INM - Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien gGmbH Saarland University, Germany) will give a talk about "Electrochemical ion management:
From sub-nanometer processes to desalination devices – Can ion management be used to make desalination plants SMART?".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
February 13, 2025, 15:00h, TUHH, Building A Room 0.13
BlueMat Seminar
Dr. Lucas Kreuzer (Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II), TU München, Germany) will give a talk about "Structure and dynamics in cellulose-based polymer films".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
June 28, 18:00h, DESY, Hybrid
BlueMat Talk at Desy Science Café
Patrick Huber, BlueMat spokesperson, will give a talk (in German) about BlueMat at the next DESY Science Café, Wednesday 26. June 2024, 18:00h, at DESY, Seminarraum 4b and via Zoom. Please find more information here: https://sciencecafe.desy.de/e46158/
June 21, 2024 14:00h, M 0526, Eißendorfer Straße 40, TUHH
Cancelled due to illness!
Colloquium of the CRC986
Prof. Dr. Volker Presser (INM - Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien gGmbH
Saarland University, Germany) will give a talk about "Electrochemical ion management and nanomaterial design for the energy/water
research nexus".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
May 15-17, 2024, Hotel Hafen Hamburg
BlueMat is co-organizing the Third International Workshop of the CRC986 "Tailor-made Multiscale Materials Systems".
Scientific Program (PDF):
- Session I: Multiscale modeling
- Session II: Fabrication of multiscale materials
- Session III: Responsive materials
- Session IV: Active photonic materials
- Session V: Advanced Porous Materials for Energy and Catalytic Applications
May 8, 2024 17:00h, K 0506, Denickestraße 15, TUHH
Colloquium of the CRC986
Prof. Dr. Linnea Hesse (University of Hamburg, Germany) will give a talk about "3D imaging in plant biomimetics: Drawing inspiration from plants for a technical transfer".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
April 18 2024, 17:00h, M 0526, Eißendorfer Straße 42, TUHH
Colloquium of the CRC986
Dr. Alexander Schlaich (University of Stuttgart, Germany) will give a talk about "Humidity-dependent water structure and dynamics in compliant porous materials".
Please find the abstract and more information here (PDF).
April 18, 2024 12:00h, Online
CMWS Seminar
Jonas Sellberg (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) will talk about "Probing structural motifs in water that control crystallization using x-ray scattering",
Please find the abstract and information on how to join the seminar here (PDF).
April 10, 2024 17:00h, K 0506, Denickestraße 15, TUHH
Colloquium of the CRC986
Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. Peter Fratzl (Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany) will give a talk about Force and shape generation in biological extracellular matrix by water-driven contractility.
Please find the abstract and more information here.
