Prof. Dr. Ulrich Tallarek
Porous Media; Transport Phenomena; Separation & Interface Science
Full Professor of Analytical Chemistry
Phone: +49-(0)6421-28-25727E-mail: ulrich.tallarek@staff.uni-marburg.de
Secretary:
Ms. Kirsten Bubenheim
Phone: +49-(0)6421-28-27061Fax: +49-(0)6421-28-27065
E-mail: kirsten.bubenheim@staff.uni-marburg.de
Postal Address:
Department of Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg,
Hans-Meerwein-Strasse, 35032 Marburg, Germany
Research Philosophy
Our research interests include the basic understanding of analytical methods, from the mechanisms of analyte-surface interactions to macroscale transport. This approach relies on the discovery of the fundamental morphology – functionality – transport relationships and requires complementary simulation methods to capture the involved widely different spatio-temporal scales (e.g., molecular dynamics simulations of solvent structure and mobility in micro- and mesopores; lattice-Boltzmann method for the simulation of fluid flow in complex macroporous pore networks; random-walk particle-tracking for the analysis of tracer transport) as well as the precise physical reconstruction of porous media, e.g., with confocal laser scanning microscopy or electron microscopy. A variety of experimental chromatographic analysis methods are used to complement the modeled data for morphological and functional optimization as well as for integration onto microfluidic platforms.
More specifically, our activities cover analytical and physico-chemical research on experimental, theoretical, and numerical aspects of the electrokinetics and hydrodynamics in porous media and functional devices, with emphasis on separation science. The investigated materials are (i) patterned microchannels and membranes used, e.g., as integrated preconcentration units in microfluidic devices, and (ii) particulate and monolithic adsorbents employed as fixed-bed separation units. Our research investigates closely related topics and coupled transports with increasing complexity to achieve a thorough understanding of morphology, functionality, and microfluidic integration. This comprises the reconstruction of monolithic and particulate bed morphology, the understanding of the origin of disorder, its quantification, and consequences for dispersion, the characterization of the involved surfaces and interfaces, consideration of (electro)chemical reactions, the transient and stationary dynamics of the fluid flow fields, as well as the resulting (electro)hydrodynamics. Experimental analytical separation methods are combined with direct imaging techniques and advanced numerical simulation approaches for identification and analysis of key transport phenomena. The gained knowledge on how microscopic structural details and mesoscopic interrelations affect molecular transport allows us to better analyze, understand, and optimize separations traditionally observed on a macroscopic scale.
Key Words: Separation science; Transport phenomena; Quantitative structure-transport relationships; Disorder-Dispersion correlations; Disorder-Diffusion correlations; High-performance computing; Lattice-Boltzmann method; Microfluidics; Microchip-HPLC; Nanoelectrospray; Electrophoresis; Electrochromatography; Three-dimensional simulation of mass and charge transport; Reconstruction of porous media; Monoliths; Morphological analysis; Molecular dynamics in nanopores.
Collaborations: Prof. Richard M. Crooks (The University of Texas at Austin): Preconcentration, separation, and detection on microfluidic devices; Prof. Andreas Seidel-Morgenstern (Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg): Large-scale simulation of flow and transport in reconstructed porous media; Agilent Technologies GmbH (Waldbronn): Microchip-HPLC and Microchip-ESI-MS; Merck KGaA (Darmstadt): Silica monoliths.
Biographical Sketch
● 1988-1994: Diplom-Chemiker (Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Tübingen, Germany)
● 1994-1998: Dr. rer. nat., Thesis: "Fluid dynamics in chromatography studied by nuclear magnetic resonance" (summa cum laude), Advisors: Prof. Dr. Ernst Bayer (Institute of Organic Chemistry, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen) and Prof. Dr. Georges Guiochon (Department of Chemistry, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
● 1995-1996: Visiting Scientist (for six months) at the Department of Chemistry, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA, Advisor: Prof. Dr. Georges Guiochon
● 1998-2000: EU Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (Department of Molecular Physics, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands), Topic: "NMR investigation of temporally and spatially resolved dynamics in porous media"
● 2000-2007: Assistant Professor (C1), later Juniorprofessor (W1) at the Institute of Chemical and Process Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg, Germany
● 2000-2004: Dr. rer. nat. habil. (venia legendi for Physical Chemistry), Thesis: "Electrokinetic flow and transport in porous media: Experimental methods, numerical analysis, and applications", Mentor: Prof. Dr. Andreas Seidel-Morgenstern (Institute of Chemical and Process Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, and Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg)
● 2003: Desty Prize for Innovation in Separation Science, The Royal Institution of Great Britain, London
● 2006: Young Scientist Award from DECHEMA e.V., which is the German analog of the AIChE (this prize is based on cutting-edge research combined with over-average teaching skills)
● 2007-2011: Professor (W2) for Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, and Board of Directors, Materials Science Center, Philipps-Universität Marburg
● 2010: Offer for a chair "Microfluidic Chemistry and Technology" from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology (Eindhoven, The Netherlands)
● 2010: Offer for a professorship "Microfluidic and Nanofluidic Analysis Systems" from the Department of Chemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Bochum, Germany)
● Since 2011: Professor (W3) for Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg
● 2011: Named Discussion Leader at the 2011 Gordon Research Conference on "Physics & Chemistry of Microfluidics", Waterville Valley, NH, USA
● 2011-2012: Chairman of the German Chemical Society, Marburg
