Polymer hybrid nanomaterials - Christian Rossner's Group
Assistant Professor at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague (UCT)
& Group Leader of "Nanomaterials" at Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (visit)
+49 351 4658 561
Current Research Topics available for students at UCT
- Synthesis and characterization of functional pseudo-star polymers with hydrophobic polyethylene pockets (DETAILS: 2026-112-9)
- Double-hydrophilic thermoresponsive block copolymers via RAFT polymerization. (DETAILS: 2026-112-10)
What we do
The interaction of nanoparticles with the environment is determined by their surface properties, and, therefore, chemical surface adaption is of utmost importance. Functionalization with synthetic polymer ligands in particular opens up vast possibilities to control the properties of inorganic nanoparticles and/or to endow them with additional functionalities. Within this context, we contribute to exploring the potential of polymer/inorganic nanohybrids for catalytic and sensing applications. Our research is driven by tailored macromolecular synthesis as well as in-depth nanomaterial characterization, which together lead to a better understanding of underlying structure-effect relationships. This provides the basis for the rational design of novel nanosensors and nanocatalysts.
Key publications (including past work)
1. Jancke, S.; Rossner, C. Functionalization with polymer ligands enhances the catalytic activity of surfactant-stabilized gold nanoparticles. Nanoscale 2025. DOI: 10.1039/d5nr00910c
2. Vazirieh Lenjani, S.; Li, C.-W.; Seckin, S.; König, T. A. F.; Merlitz, H.; Sommer, J.-U.; Rossner, C. Kinetically Controlled Site-Specific Self-assembly of Hairy Colloids. Langmuir 2024, 40, 5, 2487. DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02207 (Journal Cover Article.)
3. Jancke, S.; Liu, C.; Wang, R.; Sarkar, S.; Besford, Q. A.; König, T. A. F.; Popp, J.; Cialla-May, D.; Rossner, C.: "Turning on hotspots: Supracolloidal SERS probes made brilliant by an external activation mechanism." Nanoscale 2023, 15, 46, 18687. DOI: 10.1039/d3nr05121h
4. Vazirieh Lenjani, S.; Mayer, M.; Wang, R.; Dong, Y.; Fery, A.; Sommer, J.-U.; Rossner, C. Importance of Electrostatic Forces in Supracolloidal Self-Assembly of Polymer-Functionalized Gold Nanorods. J. Phys. Chem. C 2022, 126, 32, 14017. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c04930
Publications with UCT affiliation (since 2025)
1. Yang, Y.; et al. Nanofabrication for Nanophotonics. ACS Nano 2025 19 (13), 12491-12605, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c10964
2. , C. Polymer-Grafted Gold Colloids and Supracolloids: From Mechanisms of Formation to Dynamic Soft Matter. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2025, 46, 2400851. DOI: 10.1002/marc.202400851
3. , Y.; , S.; , A.; , C. Wrinkle-Template Confinement of Kinetically Arrested Cellulose Nanocrystals for Sustainable Large Scale Reflection Gratings. Adv. Optical Mater. 2025, e01369, DOI: 10.1002/adom.202501369