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The TU Dresden team, Dresden Scentia, has claimed first prize at the prestigious IEEE-ISOEN 2026 Sniffest Competition, an international benchmark for electronic nose systems. Competing against eight top teams globally, the challenge centered on identifying and classifying Traditional Chinese Medicine odorants using innovative self-developed electronic nose systems. The team, consisting of PhD students Helin Sun, Abdallh Herbawe, and Li Chen—who is part of our graduate school—excelled in accuracy, system integration, and innovation.

Their success reflects the cutting-edge research and international standing of TU Dresden in the fields of electronic olfaction, intelligent gas sensing, and advanced materials research. Prof. Gianaurelio Cuniberti, Chair of Materials Science and Nanotechnology at TU Dresden, praised the team’s achievement, emphasizing the role of advanced materials and AI-driven sensing systems in their success.

For the full story, read more here.

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We are very happy to announce that Anasua Barman, a doctoral candidate from the Research Training Group (RTG) 2767 at TU Dresden, has been nominated to represent our university at the “RTG connect” event hosted by the German Research Foundation (DFG). This exclusive event will take place in Bonn from October 13 to 14, 2026, bringing together doctoral researchers from across Germany. The nomination was made by the Rectorate of TU Dresden. As a representative of TU Dresden, Anasua will join other doctoral candidates from universities with DFG-funded Research Training Groups, as well as members of the DFG Senate Committee on Research Training Groups, the DFG Senate, and employees of the DFG head office.

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group picture of Prof. Brigitte Voit, Ronja Thümmler, Prof. Andreas Fery, the person in the middle wearing a mortarboard
Prof. Brigitte Voit, Ronja Thümmler, Prof. Andreas Fery

Ronja Thümmler has successfully defended her doctoral thesis titled "Defined Conjugated Nanostructures through Self-Assembly", supervised by Prof. Brigitte Voit and Prof. Franziska Lissel. Her research focused on the integration of functional units into organic semiconductors, employing sustainable green chemistry approaches in both small molecule and polymeric systems.

The work explores the role of supramolecular interactions in material design and processing. In Ronja's first project, dicarboxylated oligothiophenes were shown to exhibit exceptionally strong and thermally stable hydrogen bonding, which influenced their processability and applicability. Importantly, this also enabled material recycling in thin-film device applications.

The second project introduced maleic anhydride groups into a fully conjugated backbone. These functional units were applied to develop materials for colorimetric amine sensing, showcasing their potential in practical applications. Ronja’s research emphasizes the critical relationship between molecular structure and the processing and performance of organic semiconductor materials.

The thesis was reviewed by Prof. Brigitte Voit and Prof. Michael Sommer.

Examination Committee:

  • Chair: Prof. Thomas Simat
  • Prof. Brigitte Voit
  • Prof. Andreas Fery
  • Prof. Inez Weidinger

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On March 30, 2026, Borja Rodriguez-Barea successfully defended his doctoral thesis titled "Novel Resistive Switching in Biotemplated Colloidal 1D Metallic Wires." The defense showcased his innovative research in the field of nanotechnology and electronics, with promising advancements for the future of reprogrammable interconnects in electronic circuits.

Borja's work focused on self-assembled metallic nanostructures and demonstrated significant improvements in their electronic performance, including enhanced conductivity and reliability compared to earlier designs. A key highlight of his research was the development of a novel method to precisely position these nanostructures between metallic electrodes, an important step that opens the door for their integration into advanced device architectures. The research presented has been praised for its potential to influence the development of next-generation electronic circuits, where tunable and reprogrammable interconnects could become a reality.

Doctoral Committee:

Chair: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Caroline Murawski (TU Dresden)
First Reviewer: Prof. Dr. Artur Erbe (TU Dresden)
Second Reviewer: Prof. Dr. Tim Liedl (LMU Munich)
Additional Member: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Stefan Mannsfeld (TU Dresden)

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We congratulate our PhD student Lukas Mielke who wins the Poster Award for his poster on "Chromatographic Gas Sensor Stacks: Spatiotemporal VOC Detection for Improved Selectivity" at the Bunsen-Conference 2026 “Properties and Processes under Confinement!

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On February 24, 2026, Louis Conrad Winkler successfully defended his PhD thesis on the topic "Advancing Photodetectors for Near-Infrared Measurements" at TU Dresden. His research, supervised by Prof. Karl Leo, focused on integrating organic diodes (similar to OLEDs) into a microcavity-based architecture to enable narrowband detection for mobile spectroscopy applications. The work introduced innovative nanoparticle deposition techniques to create thin and reproducible layers, extending the detection range up to 1850 nm. Additionally, an intrinsic signal amplification mechanism was integrated, simplifying signal readout and allowing for cost-effective electronics. These advancements pave the way for compact, lightweight, and robust sensors in fields like healthcare and environmental monitoring. This achievement highlights exciting new possibilities for infrared spectroscopy and beyond.

Awarded "magna cum laude", the thesis reflects a profound understanding of device physics gained through extensive experiments.  

Advisor: Prof. Karl Leo

  • 1st reviewer: Prof. Karl Leo
  • 2nd reviewer: Prof. Alexander Eychmüller
  • 3rd reviewer: Prof. Koen Vandewal

Examination Committee:

  • Chair: Prof. Ralf Schützhold
  • Prof. Karl Leo
  • Prof. Sebastian Reineke
  • Dr. Uri Vool

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From February 9 to February 10, 2026, the on-site review for the renewal of the Research Training Group (RTG) 2767 took place at TUD Barkhausen Building. After months of preparation by the entire RTG team, the two-day evaluation provided an in-depth review of the scientific research program, the measurable outcomes, and the specific support measures offered by the RTG.

The review panel, consisting of seven experts, along with three representatives from the German Research Foundation (DFG), assessed the scientific excellence and the structural and content-related quality of the doctoral training program. A key focus of the review was on the doctoral researchers themselves: six PhD candidates from the first and second cohorts delivered scientific presentations showcasing their research projects.

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Dr. Yudhajit Bhattacharjee (Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden - IPF Dresden) has been honored with the Best Poster Award at the 2D MXene Symposium during the 2025 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston. Several PhD students funded by Research Training Group (RTG) 2767 are involved in the paper - it's one of our first joint PhD publications.

Dr. Bhattacharjee’s award-winning research focuses on the molecular engineering of Ti₃C₂Tₓ MXenes, introducing innovative strategies for tuning MXene interfaces through controlled molecular crosslinking. This approach enables precise control over inter-layer spacing and electron transport properties, as confirmed by advanced characterization techniques and theoretical calculations. The study demonstrates that such molecularly engineered MXene architectures can be effectively utilized in chemiresistive sensing devices, offering tunable response characteristics for advanced sensor applications .

The findings have been recently published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, highlighting the potential impact of this work on the development of next-generation MXene-based technologies.

Publication: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adfm.202518884

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WISSENSCHAFTLICHES KOLLOQUIUM: Short Stories from the World of Optical Materials: Hot-Electron Generation in Nanocrystals, Chiral Photochemistry and More

Prof. Dr. Alexander Govorov, Ohio University, USA

Thursday, 27 November, 10:00
Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (IPF)
(Entrance Hohe Straße 6)

ABSTRACT:

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a person (Nadia Günther) holding a bouquet of flowers and wearing a mortarboard
Mission accomplished! © F. Günther

On October 21, Nadia Günther defended her PhD thesis titled “From Colloids to Devices: I-III-VI₂ Nanocrystals for Novel Field-Effect Transistors”. She received the highest honor summa cum laude. Nadia was the first person of the 1st generation of RTG students to finish her doctoral studies.

The presentation lasted 30 minutes, followed by a 30-minute discussion on the dissertation work. The examination committee consisted of Prof. Alexander Eychmüller (first examiner), Prof. Karl Leo (second examiner), Prof. Carolin Murawski (third examiner), and Prof. Ulrich Rant, who served as chair.