Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a sensitive and selective technique
for studying the mobility of fluorescent species, such as small
molecules, macromolecules or nanoparticles, in various environments. We
develop and apply FCS based approaches to address specific questions in polymer, colloid
and interface science. By monitoring the mobility of fluorescent
tracers we obtain information about the surrounding environment, which
may range from a hydrogel to a fluid/fluid interface. Alternatively, we
use FCS to measure hydrodynamic radius, fluorescence brightness and
local concentration of fluorescently labeled colloids and
macromolecules (polymers, copolymers, proteins, DNAs) and thus
investigate conformational changes, mutual interactions or aggregation.
Such studies are particularly useful for a characterisation of drug
nanocarriers. Other research topics include: thermo-mechanical properties of polymer materials,
fabrication of giant unilamellar vesicles and visualization of nonlinear photonic crystals.
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