Research Group Göstl

The Göstl group performs research on the interface of synthetic organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, photo physics, and materials science and wants to understand and exploit the interaction of mechanical stress with (bio)materials. By targeted synthesis of small molecules that act as predetermined breaking points, we follow processes and alterations in materials scale invariantly from the macro level down to the single molecule. On the one hand, we want to analyze polymer systems employing optical force probes and unravel how these react to different forms of mechanical stress in a “molecular fractography” approach. On the other hand, we activate (bio)chemical processes by force-induced selective bond-scission generating reactive sites to improve polymer systems even further. To achieve these transdisciplinary goals, the lab members of the Göstl group work hand in hand combining their unique expertise. While the core of the group is proficient in synthetic organic and polymer chemistry for the design and preparation of these functional materials, substantial analysis and definition of research questions in a multidisciplinary context is warranted by experts in colloid and materials science.