"Perspectives in Interface Research"

A new special issue in "Advanced Materials Interfaces" is dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPI-CI) and highlights the Perspectives in Interface Research

Interface research at the MPI-CI has a longstanding collaborative history. The founding directors Markus Antonietti, Reinhard Lipowsky, and Helmuth Möhwald took office in 1993 and established new directions with the departments Colloid Chemistry, Theory and Bio-Systems and Interfaces. A first major expansion took place in 2003 with establishing the department Biomaterials headed by Peter Fratzl. Although the department Interfaces was closed in 2014 with the retirement of Helmuth Möhwald and replaced by the department of “Biomolecular Systems” headed by Peter H. Seeberger, the institute continues to explore the interface between materials and biosciences on the mesoscopic, microscopic and nanoscopic length scales.

The special issue focuses on the perspectives in interface research and covers a wide range of (sub-) topics. Guest edited by Helmuth Möhwald the publications demonstrate the leading role of the Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, not only during the last 25 years but also today, in the field of interface science. It includes twelve review-style articles, seven Communications, and twelve Full Papers covering a wide range of topics such as planar interfaces, micro- and nanocapsules, vesicles, multilayers, nanoparticles, and composite materials. Overall this issue demonstrates that the field has expanded and diversified, generated a wealth of knowledge, and promoted many careers that will drive its further development.