A material that repairs itself after tearing – sounds like science fiction, but it is already being used in the form of hydrogels for wound healing and in agriculture. Researchers at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) have used neutrons to investigate how these self-healing polymers are structured and how they behave.

From defect analysis in semiconductors with positrons to cancer therapy with neutrons: ten research projects at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) are receiving funding of around 7.6 million euros from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).

Nanoparticles have become an integral part of our everyday lives: they are found in medicines, catalysts, paints, and high-tech materials. Traditionally, solvents have been treated as a uniform background. A new study shows that solvents play a far more active role at the nanoscale than predicted.