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Our team is working on advanced microscopic and spectroscopic methods for the analysis of micro- and nanostructural properties of materials at the dimensions bridging macro down to atomic scale. The goal of our work is to facilitate a quantitative understanding of the relationship between fabrication (engineering), structure, and properties of materials. Our research topics span over functional materials, nano-structures, interfaces, and thin film systems.
Institute updates
On 5 November 2025, 20 children aged 7 to 11 from the FAU KinderUni holiday programme visited the Chair of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) to discover how nature creates brilliant colours in flora and fauna.
The visit began with a short, child-friendly introduction to structural colour and ...
We are proud to announce the publication of our paper “Revealing nanoscale plasticity of metallic nanosponges with correlative and scale-bridging 3D microscopy and modelling” in Communications Materials (Nature Portfolio). This study unveils the atomic-scale mechanisms that govern plastic deformatio...
Silver nanowire (AgNW) networks are among the most promising candidates to replace brittle indium tin oxide as transparent conductive electrodes in flexible devices such as solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and sensors. In a recent study published in ACS Nano, researchers from the Institute of Mic...
Researchers at the Institute of Micro and Nanostructure Research (IMN) and the Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Chair of Experimental Physics, Institute for Crystallography and Structural Physics (ICSP) at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, have unveiled an unexpected coexistence of 2H a...
In a recent collaborative study, researchers from the Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) and their partners have developed and implemented a comprehensive correlative tomography workflow to investigate complex, hierarchical particulate materials. The study combines 360° electron to...
A research team from the Department of Materials Science at FAU has made a significant step forward in understanding how platinum single atoms (Pt SAs) behave under thermal conditions on titanium dioxide (TiO₂) surfaces—crucial knowledge for advancing photocatalytic hydrogen generation. Their findin...
From April 1–4, 2025, over 30 members of the Institute of Micro and Nanostructure Research (IMN) gathered in the picturesque village of Kleedorf for the annual IMN retreat. Organized with great care and energy by Benni, Irene, Lena, and Jenny, the retreat brought together all PostDocs, PhD candidate...
