A prerequisite for life is the ability to separate individuals, for example, a plant, an animal, only a single cell, from the rest of the world. Therefore, boundaries are established between inside and outside in the form of a biological wall. This wall is thus the interface through which individuals interact with the outer world. Evolution has chosen the Biomembrane double layer for that task.
Biomembranes consists of fat-like molecules (lipids) with embedded proteins. The proteins control transport in and out of cells, help with recognition and signaling, and establish aggregation in larger units such as tissues and whole organisms.
Biomembranes are very complex. Therefore, biomimetic model systems, i.e. model systems that mimic biological systems, are developed to study basic properties and processes. Biology starts small and stretches to big scales!
I work in the study of the structure and dynamics of biomimetic systems with neutron waves and X-rays. The results tell what is going on in Nanocosm, and they can also reveal properties in the macrocosm and thus give us knowledge of the universe of life.
The ultimate aim extends beyond understanding natural interfaces. My scope is to invent tools for the development of new technologies, tools that can be built with bottom-up design and that are sustainable and biocompatible. Such materials will be cheap to produce, partly because the resource is found in unlimited quantities, and partly because energy consumption will be low.
