Colloquium Natural and Life Sciences - Andreas Walther

Materials inspired from life

Life-inspired, feedback-controlled and energy-fueled self-assembling systems will give rise to the molecular materials systems of the future, uniquely allowing to realize active, adaptive, autonomous and intelligent behaviors. The increasing understanding of biological processes and non-equilibrium systems provides the basis for the conception of such autonomous dynamic materials systems. In my talk, I will introduce molecular mechanisms of biological functions, such as temporal control, autonomous structure formation, and information processing, as design principles for materials systems with lifetimes, adaptive behavior and signal conduction.