The event venue at night: Mining Museum in Bochum

Participants gathering in front of the Mining Museum

Martina Havenith (Spokesperson RESOLV) kicks off three days of deep dive into Solvation Science

RESOLV – Diving into the next era! Because one decade is not enough!

200+ guests joined us to launch our 3rd funding period! 🎉 From inspiring talks to cutting-edge solvation science, we’re excited for the next 7 years driving sustainable chemistry and innovation. 🚀

Read more: www.solvation.de/news/current...

#SolvationScience

© Photos: RUB, Marquard & RESOLV

Ina Brandes MdL, Minister of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Panel discussion “Beyond Boundaries: Research Center“

Panel discussion with Research Center scientists and industry representatives

University and Research Center members and industry representatives with Minister Ina Brandes

🚀 A flagship project and strong momentum for sustainable chemistry: The Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability was opened in Bochum in the presence of Science Minister Ina Brandes.

Read more: news.rub.de/english/2026...
#SolvationScience

© Photos: RUB, Marquard

“Jugend forscht” participants at RESOLV 🔬✨

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming around 80 students as part of the NRW “Jugend forscht” competition, held this year at @ruhr-uni-bochum.de.

Read more: www.solvation.de/news/current...

#SolvationScience #JugendForscht

© Photos: Maren Meyer

Foto von Ina Brandes am Redepult. Auf dem Bild steht das Zitat: "Mit der Research Alliance Ruhr bringen die drei Universitäten der Region ihre Stärken zusammen. Hier entstehen die Ideen und Technologien, die wir für Klimaschutz, Innovationen und wirtschaftliche Stärke brauchen. – Ina Brandes"

Wissenschaftsministerin Ina Brandes hat das Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability im Ruhrgebiet eröffnet. Internationale Top-Leute forschen hier an Lösungen für die Chemie von morgen. Zugleich feierte @solvationsci.bsky.social den Auftakt seiner dritten Förderperiode.

🌳Welcoming international guests and networking in the countryside 🌳

This week, the RESOLV community gathered for their annual retreat for listening to inspiring talks and networking.

Many thanks to our special guests Klaus Engel, Andrew Zahrt, King Kouk Hii and Robert Franke.

#SolvationScience

Detection of C-Reactive Protein in Serum with Near-Infrared Fluorescent Sensors The human immune system is central in the defense against pathogens but is also involved in autoimmune diseases. Inflammatory processes are orchestrated by biomolecules, including the inflammation mar...

Congrats to Christina on her work in ACS Sensors. She developed a new biofunctionalization strategy for biosensors to detect CRP in human serum, which is an important biomarker for inflammation. @ruhr-uni-bochum.de @solvationsci.bsky.social pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Celebrating diversity in science One of RESOLV’s cardinal principles is fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and respect. It is our mission to cultivate a climate of belonging and create an environment where everyone can thrive.

🌟 Celebrating diversity in science 🌟
We welcomed inspiring speakers and 50 guests for discussions on empathy in science, DEI in academia and industry, and unconscious bias. 🫶Thank you to all participants. We look forward to 2027!
Read more: www.solvation.de/news/current...
#SolvationScience

🌊🎧 Did you know we can hear polymer-water interactions?

Researchers from @ruhr-uni-bochum.de and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign turned PNIPAM’s collapse into sound, revealing water’s role. A new way to ‘see’ molecular changes!

Read more: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#SolvationScience

"Think.Try.Transform"

RESOLV spokesperson Martina Havenith meets former RUB rector Elmar Weiler on the new podcast of Ruhr Innovation Lab. The two researchers explain how an idea became a cross-university research cluster and how it works.

thinktrytransform-der-podcast.podigee.io/2-vom-antrag...

Start of RESOLV’s third funding period

With the beginning of the new year, the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV has officially started its third funding period (2026 to 2032) with new Research Areas.

Learn more about our new Research Areas: www.solvation.de/research

#SolvationScience

Our next step applying non-statistical self-assembly to ⚡️light-driven charge separation in @angewandtechemie.bsky.social ! Donors and acceptors in heteroleptic coordination cages, electrochemistry, time-resolved spectroscopy!
@grk2376.bsky.social @solvationsci.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1002/anie...

Research opportunities for researchers at risk

RESOLV supports at-risk researchers who can no longer pursue their work in their home countries due to persecution or violence.

You can apply at any time. Details how to apply can be found here: www.solvation.de/education/re...

#SolvationScience

Kinetic Insights Into Carbon Nanotube-Based Neurotransmitter Sensors by Single Molecule Experiments Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are powerful building blocks for near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent biosensors. They can be chemically tailored to detect specific biomolecules. Their performance ...

Congrats to Juliana! She measures in ACS Nano the rate constants of nanosensors on the single molecule level. She found two kinetic pathways and one can use this knowledge for Kinetically Improved Sensor Selectivity (KISS). @solvationsci.bsky.social @ruhr-uni-bochum.de
tinyurl.com/738ypxf9

Check out Valeriia's elegant photochemistry approach in @angewandtechemie.bsky.social to incorporate quantum defects in nanomaterials without compromising quantum yield or making later biofunctionalization more challenging. Congrats! lnkd.in/eaxaECt6 @solvationsci.bsky.social @ruhr-uni-bochum.de

Right in time for X-mas 🎄: find #JustAccepted in @jacs.acspublications.org how @shingkwam.bsky.social stuffs crown ether-decorated Pd2L4 cages with cations and anions at the same time!
Happy Holidays! @tu-dortmund.de
@solvationsci.bsky.social @grk2376.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1021/jacs...

🎄 Season's Greetings 🎄

We did it again!

This has been a very successful year for the RESOLV team. Thank you all for your continued support and numerous contributions.

Looking forward to the start of a new era in 2026. 🚀

We wish you all the best and a successful new year! 🍀

Check out Björn's cool insights into near infrared signals from photosensitizers. It is correlated but does not origin from singlet oxygen. The signal is present in all samples we looked at (labeled vesicles, plants,...). @solvationsci.bsky.social @ruhr-uni-bochum.de tinyurl.com/5dvsrnde

NRW Science Minister Ina Brandes visits RESOLV
Last week, the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Culture and Science visited us. A laboratory tour and discussions with our scientists provided insights into solvation research and plans for speeding up the transfer of research results into practice.

Academia meets industry
Yesterday, we welcomed around 100 scientists and company representatives to celebrate the World Science Day for Peace and Development at our annual networking event. This year’s focus: young researchers and career opportunities in industry.
#SolvationScience #WorldScienceDay

New opportunity for Early Career Researchers!

🚀 Our Integrated Graduate School Solvation Science (iGSS) and DAAD offer again two PhD scholarships for international doctoral students.

❗Complete your application by December 7, 2025!

➡️ More information: www.solvation.de/career/gradu...

Dual degree graduation at RESOLV

Recently, our first dual degree student completed successfully his master’s degree. Congratulations!

www.solvation.de/news/current...

#SolvationScience

Vibrational circular dichroism of tartaric acid in water Although tartaric acid (TA) and its esters have been among the first molecules to be characterized by means of VCD spectroscopy, the experimental spectra of TA recorded in water have not yet been repr...

Out now in @pccp.rsc.org 🥳: Deborah tackles the challenge of computing the VCD spectra of tartaric acid and the dianionic tartrate in water. She shows that few water molecules and a micro-solvation approach are not sufficient!

doi.org/10.1039/D5CP...
@solvationsci.bsky.social #VCDspectroscopy

The tour continues in Switzerland!🇨🇭Thanks to Dr. Schörgenhumer at the University of Zurich for the afternoon tour and his helpful conversations as @solvationsci.bsky.social builds up their HTE and Automation capabilities!

The last stop of the tour was an excellent visit to EPFL and the SwissCat+ West team. Thanks to Dr. Miéville and Dr. Di Leone for the constructive chat and a tour of their remarkable lab! @solvationsci.bsky.social #Chemsky 🧪

Halogen Bonding in Solution: Under Pressure The first study of the high-pressure behavior of organic halogen bond donors in solution is presented: HP-NMR titrations were performed in various solvents, primarily with a neutral tridentate halogen...

A paper with a Queen song title? Check! (Even though that was an easy one).
We've investigated the high pressure behavior of halogen bonding and found some unexpected solvent @solvationsci.bsky.social dependence:
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

A VCD study on micro-solvation and self-aggregation of N-acetyl tryptophan propylamide The analysis of VCD spectra recorded in hydrogen bonding solvents often requires the explicit consideration of solute–solvent interactions in the DFT-based spectral calculations. While such a micro-so...

Finally out in @pccp.rsc.org: Our VCD study on Ace-Trp-nPr describes an approach to guide the micro-solvation based spectra analyis with data on conformational and solvation preferences obtained from MD simulations.

▶️ doi.org/10.1039/D5CP...
@grk2376.bsky.social @solvationsci.bsky.social

Matrix-isolation IR spectra of halogen–P and halogen–π complexes of phosphines and iodotrifluoroethylene (C2F3I) The C [[double bond, length as m-dash]] C stretching mode of iodotrifluoroethylene (ITFE) serves as a marker for halogen-bonding (XB) interactions in complexes with phosphines. The formation of C–I⋯P ...

Proudly presenting our new🔥paper in @chemcomm.rsc.org : We characterize halogen-bonded complexes of ITFE and various phosphines by means of matrix isolation IR spectroscopy in para-hydrogen.

doi.org/10.1039/D5CC...
@grk2376.bsky.social @solvationsci.bsky.social

Isolation of Anionic N‐Heterocyclic Olefins and Their Versatile Reactivity A new synthetic approach to anionic N-heterocyclic olefins (NHOs) via ligand exchange of metalated ylides/diazomethanes with free carbenes is reported. The anionic NHOs adopt bent structures with del....

Our manuscript from the Gessner group showing a new strategy to isolate anionic NHOs via ligand exchange is now published in @angewandtechemie.bsky.social. (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....). Thanks to all coauthors. @solvationsci.bsky.social @ruhr-uni-bochum.de.
#chemsky #maingroup #research

Now online as 🌶️ Hot Paper 📄 in @angewandtechemie.bsky.social: see how we combine Pd(II) and Pt(II) nodes with dynamic covalent chemistry to assemble highly robust interpenetrated double cages capable of abstracting halides from organic substrates:
doi.org/10.1002/anie...

@solvationsci.bsky.social

Onboarding event for international students Autumn 2025 RESOLV’s biannual “On Board” event was held on October 18, 2025, welcoming the new members of the RESOLV community at the Gasometer Oberhausen, an impressive industrial monument built in the late 1920...

Welcome to RESOLV

Last week we welcomed new members to the RESOLV community to introduce the program and offer the opportunity to meet new colleagues. We wish you all a good start!

www.solvation.de/news/current...

#SolvationScience #iGSS #iMOS