Project Descriptions

The Research Training Group “Correlative Materials Microscopy: From Nanostructured Functional Films to Hierarchical Functional Materials” (CorMic) trains the next generation of scientists and engineers in the interdisciplinary field of correlative microscopy – a key approach to understanding the complexity of modern functional materials and advancing their use in sustainable technologies such as photovoltaics, batteries, and hydrogen systems.

CorMic brings together doctoral researchers from materials science, chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, and data science to develop and combine cutting-edge microscopy and data-driven methods. By correlating complementary microscopy, spectroscopy, and scattering techniques, they establish fundamental structure–property relationships across multiple length scales.

The research focuses on two future directions of correlative microscopy: multimodal microscopy of nanostructured functional films (Research Area: A) and scale-bridging tomography of hierarchical functional materials (Research Area: B). Working on model systems such as thin-film solar absorbers and PEM electrolyzers, CorMic’s doctoral researchers advance sustainable materials development through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates experimentation, data science (Research Area: C), and materials design.