Chlorophyll (a naturally occurring pigment involved in photosynthesis)-inspired molecules hold promise for developing next-generation light-harvesting materials. However, achieving precise control over their assembly is challenging. Researchers have now revealed that attaching dendrons—branched, tree-like structures—can aid in self-assembly of chlorophyll’s materials. They found that smaller dendrons lead to stacked, fiber-like structures, while larger dendrons create spherical chlorophyll particles, advancing the development of materials that mimic the light-harvesting efficiency of natural photosynthetic systems.

The doctoral training and associated research program of early career researchers in the Research Training Group "Control of structure formation in soft matter at and through interfaces" (RTG 2516) was approved by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for a next round of funding. The DFG will provide some EUR 5.2 million including the program allowance for another four and half years, starting in January 2025. The RTG 2516 was established in 2020 to train a new generation of scientists for successful careers in academic or industrial research and development environments.

Extreme solar storms have hit the Earth in the past, but none has been witnessed in modern times. Analyzing tree-ring samples for radiocarbon spikes, researchers provide the first precise dating of a massive solar particle eruption event that, if it happened today, would wreak havoc on a global scale.