Visit of Professor Svetlana Santer: From molecular actuation to microscopic motion.
22 Aprile 2025
It was an honour to welcome Professor Svetlana Santer from the University of Potsdam to our HoloLith Group!
She delivered an inspiring seminar on azobenzene-based molecular actuators, illustrating how these molecules can convert optical energy into mechanical work and how azobenzene surfactants enable the light-driven manipulation and self-propulsion of microparticles through diffusioosmosis (LDDO).
During her talk, Prof. Santer showed how a custom AFM interferometry setup can probe the mechanisms behind surface relief grating (SRG) formation in azobenzene-containing polymers by linking electric field orientation to topography and measuring local opto-mechanical forces. She further discussed how light-responsive surfactants can disperse, collect, or even propel particles at interfaces, offering powerful tools to study active matter and collective motion.
We are truly grateful for her visit, for the stimulating discussions, and for the exciting perspectives for our future joint research.
