Much of the behavior of important molecular species is only known in a condensed phase environment (mostly solutions), where interaction with the solvent changes some of the properties of the solute. In order to unravel the effects of solvent-solute interactions, we want to understand the intrinsic properties of the solute and study them as isolated entities in vacuo. This is one of our main areas of interest. In a second research focus area, we are investigating the response of nanstructured materials at high pressures. While there is a huge body of work on the synthesis of nanomaterials, many of their molecular-level properties are largely unexplored, and high pressure experiments offer access to tackle fundamental questions regarding their mechanical and electronic properties.
