About the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (Fraunhofer IGB)

The Fraunhofer IGB develops and optimizes processes and products for the business areas of medicine, pharmacy, chemistry, the environment and energy. We combine the highest scientific quality with professional know-how in our fields of competence – Interfacial Engineering and Materials Science, Molecular Biotechnology, Physical Process Technology, Environmental Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering, as well as Cell and Tissue Engineering – always with a view to economic efficiency and sustainability. Our strengths lie in offering complete solutions from laboratory to pilot plant scale. Customers benefit from the constructive cooperation of the various disciplines at our institute, which is opening up novel approaches in fields such as medical engineering, nanotechnology, industrial biotechnology and environmental technology.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB offers R&D solutions in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, chemistry, the environment and energy. Our competences comprise Interfacial Engineering and Materials Science, Molecular Biotechnology, Physical Process Technology, Environmental Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering, as well as Tissue Engineering. We offer solutions from market analysis through research & development till the finished product.

Interfacial Engineering and Materials Science

Interfaces of materials are the surfaces where the materials more or less interact with their environment. Interfaces play a supporting part in the development of materials and components in the automotive sector, of technical textiles or in medical technology. For many materials the surface properties required are often quite different from those which are intrinsic for the bulk material. To modify their properties, the interfaces are first characterized in detail, and then are functionally modified using plasma technology or supramolecular chemistry.

Plasma technology

Plasma processing is nowadays one of the most important tools in thin film and surface treatment technologies, and thus plays a key role in manufacturing of many innovative products. For this reason, applications of plasma in surface technology belong to main research interests of the Fraunhofer IGB. The used plasmas are low temperature, low-to-medium pressure ones, enabling a gentle and controlled surface processing. This way we are able to etch surfaces, e.g. to clean them, or to graft new chemical functionalities onto the surface. It is also possible to polymerize a thin film onto the surface, providing such functions as as scratch-resistance, dirt-repellency, or corrosion protection. By controlling the gas composition, power and other process parameters, a broad spectrum of chemical, physical and biological surface modifications is attainable.

Selected Developments: Projects und Products

• Gradient coatings on polymers
• Scratch resistance through plasma deposition of SiOx layers
• Lateral micro-functionalization of polymers
• Barrier coatings
• Improvement of adhesion of copper on polyimide films

In the following we present in detail some selected developments in the area of functional surfaces and interfaces, with focus on the use of plasma processes to produce e.g.:

• chemically or biologically functionalized,
• structured,
• coated ….

materials.