EPR Spectroscopy in Molecular and Nano-Scale Biophysics & Soft Matter Science

Self-Organization of Soft Matter by Non-Covalent Interactions

Biological and synthetic soft matter has a remarkable ability to self-assemble into larger, complex and even functional structures solely using non-covalent interactions (e.g. electrostatic and hydrophobic forces). Dariush Hinderberger's research group uses electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy as its main research tool to study soft matter from the underlying fundamental interactions to more applied questions. The research has gained a special focus on complex biomedical questions (e.g. transport proteins or intrinsically disordered proteins (IDP)) and applications (e.g. smart systems for drug delivery).

EPR spectroscopy is a magnetic resonance method that is sensitive to molecular motions from the pico- to microsecond regime and to distances between 0.1 and ~8 nanometers. EPR is complemented by other methods of physical investigation like NMR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and dynamic light scattering (DLS), and by synthetic chemistry, which allows a unique approach to study these classes of complex materials.

We have a variety of different research projects for PhD-students, postdocs, master's/diploma students or undergraduate research assistants (studentische Hilfskräfte)! If you are interested in our research or in joining the group you may always contact us.

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We are part of the interdisciplinary Max Planck Graduate Center with the University of Mainz (MPGC)

See our research highlighted:

- Elektronenspinresonanz (ESR)-Spektroskopie an Paramagnetischen Sonden - Analytik für thermoresponsive Polymere in der GIT-Labor Fachzeitschrift (in German, May 2013).

- What happens on the molecular and nano-scale during the thermal collapse in thermoresponsive polymers? See our feature article in Macromolecular Rapid Communications (February 2013).

- Water makes the difference for protein structures: Human and Bovine Serum Albumin have similar crystal and different solution structures. See our open access paper in PLoS One (September 2012).

- Discover ionoids in our open access paper in Wiley-VCH's new open access journal ChemistryOpen (September 2012). - also featured in ChemistryViews.org: Random? Not at all...

- Physik, Chemie, Biologie und Medizin: Der Spin macht den Unterschied.

- Our research on nano-inhomogenities in thermoresponsive polymers was featured on MaterialsViews.com: Doing it the EPR Way...

- Our paper Dinitrogen Complexation With Main Group Radicals in Chemical Science has been featured as a Hot Article and in Nachrichten aus der Chemie

- "Außen weich, innen hart" - Albumin zeigt sich strukturell flexibel (10/2010).

- At the 3rd EuCheMS European Chemistry Congress in Nürnberg, August/September 2010 (in English or German).

People in the News:

- Go open access! Dariush Hinderberger joined the editorial board of PLOS ONE, the peer-reviewed, open-access, online journal that reports on primary research from any scientific discipline (August 2012).

- Dariush Hinderberger received the Dr.-Hermann-Schnell-Stipendium from the GDCh (September 2011).

- Dariush Hinderberger officially received his habilitation in physical chemistry from the
Department of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Geosciences of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (26 January 2011).

- Dennis Kurzbach was admitted to the Gutenberg Academy of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Congratulations!

- Our alumnus Dr. Matthias Junk received the MAINZ Award by the Graduate School of Excellence "Materials Science in Mainz" in April 2011. Congratulations!

(Most of the) EPR group, November 2011