The Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (German: Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung) is located in Potsdam-Golm Science Park in Golm, Potsdam, Germany.
Being part of the Max Planck Society, the institute examines nano- and microstructures specifically colloids in which many are found in nature.
Understanding the function of these structures can also help to identify the causes of certain diseases that occur when the folding of membranes or the transport of materials in cells fails to work properly.
This includes inorganic and metallic nanoparticles, polymers and peptide structural units, their micelles and organised phases, as well as emulsions and foams.
Second, the understanding of basic mechanisms by which the structure of bone or connective tissue is optimized opens the way for studying diseases and, thus, for contributing to diagnosis and development of treatment strategies.
[3] The Department of Theory and Bio-Systems, headed by Reinhard Lipowsky, investigates the structure and dynamics of molecules, colloids and nanoparticles in biological and biomimetic systems.
The molecular building blocks of these systems assemble "by themselves" and form a variety of supramolecular nanostructures, which then interact to produce even larger structures and networks.
These complex processes represent hidden dimensions of selforganization since they are difficult to observe on the relevant length and time scales.
In this program, young talented doctoral students can work on a challenging research project and develop their scientific communication and management skills.