The freeze-drying is a versatile drying process for preparing the dried/ solid products by removing the solvent/ liquid inside the materials through 1) freezing the materials/ products at a very low temperature (e.g., liquid nitrogen temp.), and 2) subjecting the frozen product to the sublimation process under a high vacuum to remove the frozen solvent/ ice.  

In collaboration with the Experimental Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy group led by Prof. Holger Grüll (Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Cologne) we are operating an automated freeze drying system.

With dedicated AK-Mathur group freeze-drying facility, Dr. Maleki and her group are implementing the freeze-drying approach for the fabrication of several high-performance synthetic aerogels and foams based nanostructured materials. This method is basically  being utilized for several of her running projects with the following objectives: 

1) Cryo (freeze)-drying of the self-assembled or sol-gel derived gels/ hydrogels, and different slurries out of surface-modified ceramics, polymers, biopolymers, and carbonaceous structures

2) Biomimatic microstructural assembling, control and directing but also macroscopic shaping of the 3D nanostructured materials to specific macroscopic shapes and morphologies (i.e. monoliths, microspheres, 3D printed)

3) Imparting porosity (macropore) to the porous monoliths