Lichtgedanken 05

Rubrik 18 A mainframe computer instead of a lab bench: when Prof. Dr Marek Sierka and his team work with new polymers for nanoparticles, they wear neither a lab coat nor gloves. Rather than experimenting, the materials scientists are developing new chemical structures in a purely virtual environment. They are using computer simulation to search for the optimum fit between active substances and polymers. We interviewed the Professor of Computational Materials Science to discuss this »chemical dating agency«. Active ingredients in a tailor-made suit INTERVIEW: UTE SCHÖNFELDER Computer model of a nanoparticle: the active substance molecules (red, dark grey, blue and green) are packed in polymer chains (light grey and beige).