Advanced School

Structure Formation at Interfaces and Surfaces

Münster 01.-04.09.2014

Surfaces and interfaces are of high importance for many themes of intense theoretical, computational and experimental research in all natural sciences. Furthermore, their understanding is as well very relevant for many practical applications, e.g. in many branches of contemporary engineering. Examples are on the one hand, adaptive polymer surfaces (which change their properties triggered by the environment), surfaces with ordered patterns in the nano-meter range, specific chemical processes at electrochemical interfaces, the formation of crystalline or amorphous thin oxide layers, or surfaces for micro- and nanofluidics. On the other hand, surfaces and interfaces are of paramount importance for the mesoscale behaviour of biological systems, e.g., as a platform for the signalling of cells. Specific examples range from diffusion limited growth in non-living systems to structures at and in biological cell membranes such as lipid rafts and self-organized protein patterns.

In all mentioned cases the resulting structures result from spontaneous self-organisation, partly supported by the presence of pre-patterned surfaces.  This workshop aims at presenting a broad perspective on the different phenomena. Several important experimental examples are presented by distinguished scientists in the field. Theoretical descriptions range from microscopic stochastic discrete to meso- and macroscopic deterministic continuum approaches and are related to open basic questions in our understanding of non-equilibrium phenomena. Many presentations contain a significant introductory component which may, in particular, be very profitable for advanced students in the field. The schedule reserves ample time for discussions that will hopefully connect the different ideas and approaches even more closely.

Invited Speakers

A. Archer Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Loughborough

M. Bär Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin

H.G. Döbereiner Institute for Biophysics, University of Bremen

H. Fuchs Physical Institute, University of Münster

S. Gurevich Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Münster

A. Heuer Institute for Phyiscal Chemistry, University of Münster

M. Heyde Fritz-Haber-Institute, Berlin

S. Linz Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Münster

E. Sackmann Department of Physics, TU München

A. Stevens Applied Mathematics Münster, University of Münster

A. Studer Organic Chemistry Institute, University of Münster

U. Thiele Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Münster

M. Winter University of Münster, MEET