Staff & Contact

What motivated the establishment of the Center for Nanosystems Chemistry?

"More than in any other field of organic chemistry, the application of supramolecular principles belongs in the repertoire of preparative chemists working on the development of functional molecules and materials required to solve important challenges in the areas of energy, communication, environmental, and health.  Indeed, materials development in the 21st century will increasingly take advantage of supramolecular design principles. To make progress here, self-organization processes will play an important role in designing complex multicomponent mixtures and bulk materials/solids with emergent functional properties. Ultimately, a successful interplay of synthetic and biological nanosystems will be achieved and will open an entirely new research field beyond chemistry. If a young chemist approaches the field of nanosystems chemistry, however, (s)he will immediately realize that neither his/her knowledge acquired in classical chemistry courses nor the instrumentation commonly available in chemistry departments are sufficient to accurately understand supramolecular nanostructures. It is the concept of CNC to provide an environment for advanced young researchers where suitable instrumentation and know-how is provided to enable them to initiate independent fields of research. Established scientists at CNC will provide an umbrella to nurture their innovative ideas, provide sophisticated instrumentation for nanosystems characterization, and attract world-leading scientists as visiting professors and for lectures"

Frank Würthner
(Director)