Welcome to the Institute of Nanotechnology


We conduct fundamental and applied research with a focus on innovation in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Our scientists collaborate within the institute and with partners around the world across the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and materials science, as well as biology and medicine.

Cover picture of Chem4Quant proposalDr. Johannes Richers | Visual Science Communication
Cluster initiative Chem4Quant passes first selection round

The proposal "Chemical Design of Highly Precise Quantum Architectures" (Chem4Quant) was selected by the DFG expert council to enter a full proposal for the "Clusters of Excellence" funding line. The initiative by the KIT, the University of Stuttgart and the University of Ulm was headed for the KIT by Prof. Mario Ruben of INT.

KIT Press Release
Structural sketch of a nanoring formed of organometallic sandwich complexesNature / AOC, KIT
Cyclocenes - rings of organometallic sandwich structures

In organometallic chemistry, so-called sandwich complexes always displayed linear chain structures. Now researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Philipps-Universität Marburg have formed multi-level sandwich complexes into nanoscale rings and named them  "cyclocenes". The work has been published in Nature.

KIT Press Release
Picture of Stefanie DehnenStefanie Dehnen, KIT
Stefanie Dehnen wins the 2023 RSC/GDCh Lectureship in Chemical Sciences

For her pioneering research on molecular multinary cluster nanoarchitectures for applications in catalysts, white-light emitters, and battery materials Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dehnen was awarded the Alexander Todd-Hans Krebs Lectureship by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh).

RSC Announcement
Picture of Christopher Barner-Kowollik in a laboratoryQueensland University of Technology
Christopher Barner-Kowollik awarded the 2023 RSC Centenary Prize

Prof. Dr. Barner-Kowollik won the Centenary Prize of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for the development and photophysical understanding of precision macromolecular photochemistry, and for excellence in communication. He and his team developed the ‘action plot analysis’ to understand photochemical processes in the realm of polymer chemistry with never-before-seen precision.

RSC Announcement
Various 3D glass nanostructuresDr. Jens Bauer, KIT
3D printing of glass nanostructures

Using a hybrid organic-inorganic polymer resin as starting material the group of Dr. Jens Bauer succeeded in 3D printing of silicon dioxide nanostructures without the need of a high-temperature sintering process, as reported in Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.abq3037 )

KIT Press Release
Portrait pictures of Andreas Paetzold and Frank BiedermannMarkus Breig, Amadeus Bramsiepe, KIT
ERC Consolidator Grant for Frank Biedermann

One of the prestigious Consolidator Grants of the European Research Council (ERC) was awarded to Dr. Frank Biedermann of INT for his "SupraSense" project on highly specific sensors for medical diagnostics that mimic enzyme pockets. T.T.-Prof. Dr. Ulrich W. Paetzold of IMT received a Consolidator Grant for his LAMI-PERO project on perovskite solar cells.

KIT Press Release
Portrait picture of Prof. Dr. Jürgen JanekRolf K. Wegst
Greve Prize for Jürgen Janek

The Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences awarded the newly established Greve Prize to Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek (Justus Liebig University at Gießen and KIT, INT) and Prof. Dr. Kerstin Volz (Philipps University at Marburg) for their research on fundamental properties of solid-state batteries.

Leopoldina Press Release
Portrait picture of new Executive Director Prof. Dr. Stefanie DehnenStefanie Dehnen, KIT
New Executive Director of INT

On October 1st 2022 Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dehnen succeeded Prof. Dr.-Ing. Horst Hahn as Executive Director of the INT. Prof. Dehnen won the Leibniz-Preis for her research on Inorganic Molecular Chemistry in 2022.

Executive Director Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dehnen
Artists sketch of a photon-spin interface with the europium molecule crystalChristian Grupe, KIT
Quantum Information: Light from Rare-earth Molecules

Researchers of KIT with collaborators from France have produced an effective molecular photon-nuclear spin interface. This is major progress in the development of materials for processing quantum information with light.

KIT Press Release
Picture of the award ceremony with Mrs. Hagel and Mrs. LauerKIT, Daniela Di Maio
Outstanding Performance Award for INT Management Assistants

Mrs. Heidi Hagel and Mrs. Felicitas Lauer have received the award for Outstanding Performance in their support  of INT scientists by the KIT Freundeskreis und Fördergesellschaft e.V. within the event "Junge Talente" on May 21st, 2022.

"Junge Talente"
Portrait picture of Pascal FriederichAmadeus Bramsiepe, KIT
Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Award for Pascal Friederich

The prize is considered the most distinguished award for young investigators in Germany. In his work, Pascal Friederich focuses on the use of artificial intelligence in material simulation, virtual material design, and autonomous experimental platforms for automatic material recognition.

KIT Press Release
Artists view of the silicon nanoparticles scattering light of the desired wavelengthDennis Arslan, Universität Jena
Optical Diffuser based on Silicon Metamaterials

Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Friedrich Schiller University of Jena have developed a diffuser, a disk that scatters light, based on silicon nanoparticles. It can be used to control the direction, color, and polarization of light.

KIT Press release
Honorary doctorate for Jürgen JanekTU Delft, Annelies van't Hul
Honoray Doctorate for Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek

For his long and successful research on Solid State Ionics Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek was awarded an honory doctorate by the Technical University of Delft, Netherlands (Laudatio starts at 7:20).

Youtube video of the Award Ceremony
Electron microscopic reconstruction of a 3D nanostructure printed with the 2-step absorption process (left) and light microscopy (right). Professor Rasmus Schröder, University of Heidelberg, Vincent Hahn, KIT
3D Laser Nanoprinters Become Compact

3D laser printers for 3-dimensional microstructures and nanostructures so far require big and expensive laser systems. Researchers of KIT and the Heidelberg University developed a process with inexpensive and small laser diodes, allowing for much smaller printers.

KIT Press Release
Dr. Frank Biedermann received the Life Sciences Bridge Award 2021Uwe Dettmar
Life Sciences Bridge Award for Dr. Frank Biedermann

In 2021 the Aventis Foundation granted this highly-endowed Postdoctoral Award to researchers working at research-intensive German universities.  Dr. Frank Biedermann from INT was one of only three awardees.

Award winner Dr. Frank Biedermann
Sketch of an Europium complex acting as a QubitC. Grupe, KIT
Quantum Information Processing: Towards Molecule-based Coherent Light-Spin Interfaces

We demonstrate efficient polarization of ground state nuclear spins of a binuclear Europium complex via light.  This shows the feasibilty of light addressable nuclear spin qubits in such rare-earth complexes.

Press release
Differential conductance of a Single Molecule Magnet at various magnetic fieldKIT
Indirect Spin-Readout of a Single Molecule Magnet

We use scanning tunneling spectroscopy with a spin-polarized tip to indirectly read out the spin of a rare-earth atom of a single molecule magnet exploiting the exchange splitting of the Kondo resonance.

Physical Review Letters
Sketch of vesicles captured on functionalized microarrays KIT
Rapid Capture of Cancer Extracellular Vesicles by Lipid Patch Microarrays

A novel strategy based on dip-pen nanolithography generated microarrays of supported lipid membranes allows for highly selective and efficient capture of extracellular vesicles.

Advanced Materials
Artists view of a MOF-enhanced graphene transistor sensing molecules Sandeep Kumar, KIT
Selective molecule sensing with SURMOF-enhanced graphene transistors

By growing a metal-organic framework directly onto the graphene of a field-effect transistor device selective sensing of molecules has been demonstrated by a collaboration of groups from IFG and INT.

KIT press release
Artists view of a high-entropy metal-organic frameworkKIT
High-Entropy Metal-Organic Frameworks for energy storage

We present High-Entropy Metal-Organic Frameworks that show much improved stability and near perfect Coulombic efficiency as a storage material based on sodium.

Advanced Materials
Picture of structures in materials of Earth's lithosphereRoman Kulagin, KIT
Materials Design inspired by Earth's Lithosphere

The structural patterns of Earth's lithosphere is particularly rich and can inspire innovative designs of structural and architectured materials.

Lithomimetic materials design
Picture of cloud simulation chamber AIDAMarkus Breig (KIT)
Research on Corona virus spreading

The CORAERO project studies the spreading of Corona viruses via aerosols. The INT group of Prof. Hahn is among the four participating KIT groups with their contribution to further Aerobuster development.

CORAERO press release (German)
Lipid-Multi-DPN
KNMFi Relaunch

"KNMFi makes the invisible visible" is the motto of a video which features several KNMF technologies operated by our INT colleagues in Bldg. 640.

Video
Women in Science: Britta Weidinger, Ph.D. Student Cluster 3DMM2O / Agentur Triebfeder
Women in Science at INT

Carl Zeiss Foundation Scholarship holder Britta Weidinger talks about her research carried out at INT within the framework of the Excellence Cluster 3DMM2O.

Women in Science video at Youtube
Portrait pictures of Jürgen Janek and Martin WegenerKIT/Janek/Wegener
Highly Cited Researchers 2020

INT research unit heads Prof. Dr. Jürgen Janek and Prof. Dr. Martin Wegener are among the eight KIT scientists on the 2020 list of Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate / Web of Science.

Press information (in German)
Picture of a hybrid physical clonable functionKIT/Aghassi
Printed Physical Unclonable Function

A hybrid physical unclonable function based on metal oxide thin film devices, exploiting the inherent randomness of printed materials, was demonstrated by researchers of KIT.

Nature Communications article
Group of KIT resarchers with their prototype of the "Aerobuster"KIT/Martin Breig
"Aerobuster" kills the Corona virus

Researchers of KIT developed a simple device to effectively kill the Corona virus in aerosols of ambient air in closed rooms.

Press information (in German)
Picture of Auriga FIBKIT/INT
Virtual tours of some INT labs

You can now take virtual lab tours through some of our synthesis, structuring and spectroscopy facilities.

Virtual lab tours
multiple anions+cations
Novel high-entropy materials for energy storage

Entropy-stabilized multianionic and multicationic oxyhalides have been used as cathodes for Li-ion batteries.

Energy Environ. Sci. 12, 2433 (2019)