Prof. Dr. Volker Abetz is a full professor (W3) of Physical Chemistry at the University of Hamburg since January 2013 and concurrently serves as Director of the Institute for Polymer Research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht. His career has included professorships at the University of Kiel (2004–2012) and the University of Potsdam, along with visiting roles at Stanford, UC Louvain, and Ben-Gurion University. Education: Habilitation, University of Bayreuth (2000) – “Complex Structures based on ABC Triblock Copolymers” PhD, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg (1990) – “Spectroscopic Polarimetry on Multicomponent Polymer Systems” Diplom, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg (1987) – “FTIR-Dichroism Spectroscopy on Polymer Multicomponent Systems” Research Interests: His group focuses on nanostructured polymers , stimuli-responsive block copolymers , isoporous membranes , vitrimer chemistry , hierarchical polymer composites , and anisotropic gels . A hallmark of his work is translating fundamental self-assembly principles into scalable membrane technologies for water treatment, gas separation, and bioprocessing. Publication Trends: Across >480 peer-reviewed papers, recent output centers on advanced block-copolymer membranes (isoporous, antifouling, ion-selective), reprocessable vitrimer nanocomposites (lignin-based, Au-doped, magnetic), and in-situ diagnostics (synchrotron SAXS, atomic-layer deposition). These studies couple rigorous polymer synthesis with sophisticated characterization and device-level validation. Scientific Awards & Honors: Cover-featured articles in Advanced Materials , ACS Macro Letters , Macromolecular Rapid Communications Keynote & plenary invitations at POLYCHAR, ACS, IUPAC MACRO conferences Patents on isoporous membrane manufacturing (WO, EP, DE filings) Research Funding & Collaborations: His teams secure funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG), Helmholtz Association, EU Horizon programs, and industry partners. The group operates state-of-the-art laboratories at both the University of Hamburg and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, hosting a vibrant international cohort of PhD students and postdocs. Laboratories & Facilities: AG Abetz – University of Hamburg Institute of Physical Chemistry Institute for Polymer Research – Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Access to PETRA-III (DESY), BER II (HZB) & ILL (Grenoble) neutron/synchrotron beamlines







