Report 2025 / Freiburger Materialforschungszentrum

FIT INTO THE FUTURE 'Great challenges – great opportunities' could bethe slogan for materials science in recent years and will undoubtedly remain so in the future. The ubiquitous presence of microplastics, the ever-increasing amount of hard-to-decompose waste polluting the environment and oceans, and the exacerbation of the climate crisis present enormous challenges to humanity and to our materials research at FIT. However, these challenges also present great opportunities for fundamental materials research on sustainability. To quote Winston S. Churchill on this topic: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Or, if one – as it is very fashionable these days - asks an AI on this topic, one obtains a rather comprehensive answer: “Challenges and opportunities are often two sides of the same coin, where difficulties serve as catalysts for growth, innovation, and success. Key opportunities arise from adopting a proactive mindset, turning adversity into action, and viewing obstacles as necessary steps for advancement.” Nicely said. Accordingly, materials research at FIT over the past year has once again focused on the sustainability of materials and technologies. Examples include novel energy materials, adaptive systems, and bio-based and/or bio-inspired materials for adaptive architecture. Other areas of research include improving the frictional properties of mechanical systems and soft robotics. In terms of process technologies, significant progress has been reported on the photochemical generation of materials systems. Some of the results of the FIT projects are described in the following Annual Report. In addition to conducting basic research on sustainable material systems, FIT's second challenge is to educate and train the next generation of young scientists in material science and inspire them to pursue research. A key measure here is the fact that more than 200 master's students, doctoral researchers and postdocs are working on exciting research topics at FIT. Other important measures to integrate younger students include the Masterlabs at FIT (and, since 2025, the Advanced Master Lab) and international undergraduate research internships. Last summer, we welcomed around a dozen undergraduate students from our key partner, Penn State University, and other universities, who stayed with us for a couple of months. These internships demonstrate FIT's attractiveness and help maintain and enhance its international visibility. Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone whose hard work and dedication is essential to making outstanding science possible. We are particularly grateful to the administrative and technical staff for their efforts on keeping the administrative and technical infrastructure up and running. Without the tireless work and commitment of so many people, especially Dr. Meisen and her team, it would not be possible to conduct scientific research of such a high standard at FIT. While it is not usually the place to single out individuals, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Olga Speck, who retired towards the end of 2025. Olga was an excellent scientific coordinator for FIT for roughly a decade. We are grateful for all her hard work and wish her all the best for the future. FIT would not be FIT — nor fit for the future — without the creativity and enthusiasm for science of a large number of young scientists and the members of our FIT community. The enthusiasm with which disciplinary and interdisciplinary research is conducted, and the way complex scientific problems are tackled, is most impressive and contributes to FIT's good standing. Finally, we would also like to thank the many members of the university administration who have supported FIT's work, even during challenging times. As I started this short foreword with a quote, I would like to end with one: 'Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognise them' (Anne Landers). As you will see from the following annual report, we at FIT are ready to roll up our sleeves, tackle the challenges, and seize new opportunities. I hope you enjoy reading it. Jürgen Rühe, Managing director FIT