Volker Buck

Prof. Volker Buck is a faculty member at the Faculty of Physics, University of Duisburg-Essen. He leads the AG Buck research group, focusing on the deposition and characterization of self-organized nanostructures such as graphene, carbon nanowalls, and ultrananocrystalline diamond, as well as plasma-based surface modifications (activation, etching). The group is affiliated with CeNIDE (Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen) and NETZ (NanoEnergieTechnikZentrum), bridging fundamental research with industrial applications through collaborations with engineering departments and third-party funded projects.

The group's work emphasizes systematic investigation of plasma treatment effects on surface properties, particularly for energy and technological applications like optimizing bipolar plate wettability. They possess advanced equipment for plasma-assisted deposition (e.g., DC/RF sputtering, microwave/hot filament CVD) and surface analysis (SEM, XRD, SIMS) developed in-house.

Key Research Areas:

• Synthesis of nanostructures
• Plasma physics and surface engineering
• Thin film characterization
• Materials for transparent electronics

Collaborations: Interdisciplinary partnerships within the Faculty of Physics (surface physics) and Faculty of Engineering Science are central to their applied research.