Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
Different functional materials.
© Fraunhofer IGB
Different functional materials.

© Fraunhofer IGB

Materials

We produce materials that can be used to coat surfaces, but also in 3D printing processes. Depending on the application, the materials are synthesized, chemically modified or suitably formulated. The materials are hydrogels, drug-releasing particles, and formulations for coatings and bioprinting.

 

Functional particles and particle technologies

Our services include the production, processing and characterization of functional particles. Biobased, biodegradable or inorganic materials are used for this purpose. The surfaces of the nano- and microparticles can be additionally equipped with functional properties and active groups to optimize the desired material properties. For particle synthesis, different particle technologies are available.

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© Fraunhofer IGB

Modified biopolymers

By means of chemical modification, we specifically customize biopolymers such as gelatine, chitosan or inulin to suit different requirements depending on the area of application. By introducing a wide range of chemical groups, we can thus modify, for example, the viscosity, solubility or charge of the biopolymer in a targeted manner, enabling processes to be tailored more sustainably and efficiently.

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Hydrogels: matrix or release system

Hydrogels are polymers that are insoluble in water but contain water. They are used, for example, in biotechnology and medicine. We develop hydrogels as tissue-like matrices or as release systems for use in medical technology. We can adjust properties such as viscosity and strength according to requirements.

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Formulations

We develop formulations for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and crop protection. We employ functional particles and hydrogels as release systems for active ingredients and effect substances. For this we use biomaterials such as alginate, chitosan, gelatine, biocompatible materials and commercially available polymers.

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© Fraunhofer IGB

Inks for 2D/3D printing and bioprinting

Novel additive manufacturing processes have found their way into many applications. Among the established printing techniques, inkjet printing offers a highly attractive technique to create in-plane or three-dimensional structures previously designed on a computer. Our work focuses on the development of suitable ink formulations to process diverse functional components such as hydrogels, nanoparticles, proteins and conductive materials.

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NANOCYTES®/core-shell particles

  • Development and synthesis of highly specific adsorber polymers
  • Development of NANOCYTES® surfaces for DNA- and protein microarrays
  • Surface coating of micro- and nanoparticles
  • Design and production of selective composite membranes
  • Organic and inorganic particle-based systems
  • Formulation of drug matrix systems
  • Development of biocompatible and biodegradable particles
  • Loading and encapsulating of particles
  • Production of nanoparticles with reactive active ester surface
  • Bioconjugation of biomolecules on surfaces
  • Biological analyses and analytics
  • Carrying out feasibility studies

Development of nano- and micro-encapsulated active agents

  • Synthesis of polymers and block co-polymers
  • Characterization of polymers
  • Bioconjugation

Drug loading of particles

  • Formulation of particles via mini- and nano-spray dryer
  • High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
  • Titration microcalorimetry

Printing processes

  • Formulation of water- or solvent-based inkjet inks
  • Biofunctional inks
  • Inks containing nano- or microparticles
  • UV-crosslinkable inks
  • Conductive and printed circuit board inks
  • Printing of high-resolution structures

Analytics

Biological and polymer analysis

  • MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer (Bruker Ultraflex II)
  • Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
  • Simultaneous thermoanalysis (STA)
  • Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with 4 detectors

 

Particle analysis

  • Microelectrophoresis (zeta potential)
  • Dynamic light scattering (SLS, mastersizer, measuring range 0.1 nm to 10 μm)
  • Static light scattering (SLS, mastersizer, measuring range 50 nm to 2 mm)
  • Miniplants with inline analytics

 

Surface characteristics and morphology

  • Ellipsometry
  • Microscopy, scanning electron microscope (REM), atomic force microscopy (AFM)
  • Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA)
  • Mini- and nano-spray dryer for the formulation of particles
  • High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
  • Titration microcalorimetry

Formulations

  • Dynamic light scattering
  • Ellipsometry
  • MALDI TOF mass spectrometry
  • Microcalorimetry
  • Digital imaging
  • Laboratory synthesis

Scientific publications

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