Stephan Roth

Stephan Roth's research is embedded in the larger framework of sustainability. He develops functionalized polymeric materials on bio-basis. This approach comprises renewable materials themselves, enabling greener processes, energy harvesting, applying the principles of green chemistry as well as machine learning. His focus hereby is to contribute to a circular bioeconomy. Current examples include novel hybrid materials for optoelectronic applications based on advanced bio-derived core-shell colloids (anit-counterfeiting by designing colors), flexible solar cells (harvesting energy from light) and thermoelectrics (harvesting electricity from heat). It extends to advanced biosensors based on (bio)polymer-inorganic colloid hybrid materials and lithographic applications.

Self-assembly plays a crucial role in nanostructuring. Therefore, the focus is on X-ray and neutron scattering at large scale facilities to establish the nanostructure-function relationship of these hybrid materials in real-time by so-called in-situ and operando experiments. The range of deposition methods for such thin films ranges from spray coating of liquid solutions to vacuum deposition on various metallic and organic films.