The Institute of Materials Research

In the Institute of Materials Research at the Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht in Geesthacht more than 160 employees work in the 4 research divisions, " Materials Mechanics", "Materials Physics", "Materials Technology " and "Magnesium Innovation Center Magic".

Embedded in the Helmholtz Research Fields "Key Technologies" and "Structure of Matter" the Geesthacht scientists at the Institute of Materials Research develop ultra-light-weight materials and innovative process technologies for the application areas air and ground transportation, implantology and regenerative medicine, as well as energy storage and conversion.

Currently about 50% of the staff of the Institute are working in this application area. The activities include the development of novel Mg-and Ti-alloys, which meet the high demands of ultra-light-weight construction, the development of processing technologies, in particular casting and joining processes for the cost effective and resource-saving production of light-weight semi components, and the provision of experimental and computer-aided optimization and evaluation procedures for ensuring the integrity of materials and structures.

With a view on the aging society, novel routes to manufacture medical devices such as vertebrae screws are followed with the development of biodegradable magnesium alloys and metal powder injection molding processes. With the help of such implants mobility and quality of life may be maintained into old age.

For the future hydrogen economy, polymer-based membranes for hydrogen production, separation, treatment and for advanced fuel cells are investigated. For hydrogen storage light metal hydrides with particularly high storage capacity for mobile and stationary applications are developed. As the most recent topic, novel nanostructured metals have been included which are explored with respect to their ability to store and make available electric energy in a short time or to realize actuators and sensory functions.

Whether novel materials hold, what they promise, is being investigated increasingly in an interdisciplinary way. Thus, at the German Engineering Materials Science Centre (GEMS) at various neutron and X-ray radiation scattering instruments, nano-and microstructures in engineering and bio materials are analysed. The instruments, that use neutrons, are located at the HZG outstation at the FRM II in Garching near Munich. Complementary studies using very intense X-rays, the so-called "synchrotron radiation", are conducted at the High Energy Materials Research beamline HARWI II at the DORIS II ring, and at the High Energy Materials Science (HEMS), the Imaging (IBL) and the BIOSAXS Beamline at the PETRA III ring at the HZG outstation at DESY in Hamburg.