Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses IZI-BB
Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses IZI-BB

Smart Membranes

Customized Nanofiber Membranes – For Filtration, Extraction, Bioanalysis, and Point-of-Care Technology

We develop membranes made of nanofibers that can be customized for specific functions. Compared to conventional membranes, our system can be flexibly configured, from the choice of polymers to doping with functional additives to surface modification. The porous structure is permeable to gases and liquids and is ideal for filtration and rapid testing, while the enormous active surface area offers maximum sensitivity, efficient extraction, and material savings—ideal for miniaturization. Our portfolio includes customized nanofiber membranes with controllable fiber thickness and pore size, a wide range of materials and functionalizations that can be integrated directly into existing systems, analogous to conventionally used membranes.

Characteristics and Benefits of the Technology

  • Easy production using electrospinning from a wide range of polymer types (e.g., PS, nylon, PLA, polyimide, PVP, PVA)
  • Development of smart membranes and fiber fleeces with flexible material properties:
    • Hydrophobicity
    • Doping with particles, charges, or dyes
    • Biofunctionalization
    • Electrical conductivity
  • Easy integration into existing systems: e.g., compatibility with syringe filters, masks, or lateral flow applications
  • »On-demand« material adaptations: For specific applications and research projects.
  • Upscaling of production in yard goods using roll-to-roll processes

Advance your research with our expertise.

© Fraunhofer IZI-BB

Our Contribution to Your Project

  • Design and development of new membranes to meet your requirements
  • Advice on selecting suitable membrane materials and modifications
  • Embedding membranes in sample systems
  • Characterization of membranes and evaluation of performance
  • Provision of material samples

© Universität Regensburg

Smart Membranes

Would you like to learn more about specific applications for this technology?

You will soon find further offers and information about applications here!

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PriCarNo: Printable 3D Electrodes Made of Carbon Nanofibers

High-performance electrodes for point-of-care applications

© Fraunhofer IZI-BB
Printed carbon nanofiber electrodes with the potential for mass-production.

This project develops miniaturized electrodes based on carbon nanofibers (PriCarNo), which can be massively manufactured. The large surface area of ​​the electrodes, their tunable properties and functionalities, as well as their excellent electrical conductivity, offer advantages for point-of-care applications.

PriCarNo can be easily integrated into point-of-care tests, e.g., lateral flow assay strips, face masks, bandages, syringe filters, etc. The permeability and high porosity of PriCarNo facilitate efficient preconcentration and sensitive detection.

 

Methods

  • Formulation of polymer solutions and mixtures and incorporation of functional additives
  • Establishment of robust and reproducible electrospinning protocols
  • Adjustment of material properties by optimizing process parameters
  • Subsequent surface modification and functionalization of fiber tiles/membranes for specific requirements

Equipment

  • Electrospinning systems with stationary or drum collector
  • SEM for material characterization
  • Laser cutting system with CO2 laser
  • Contact angle measurement
  • Fourier transform IR spectrometry
  • Multi-channel potentiostat also suitable for impedance measurements
  • Hot press/options for UV ozone or plasma treatment

Publications

  • Grotz BV, R von Bieberstein K, Wongkaew N, Duerkop A, Frey MW, Baeumner AJ. Engineered Nanofiber-Hydrogel Systems for Colorimetric Lactate Sensing from Breath. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces (2025) 17,46, 63009–63019.
  • Wieberneit AJ, Baumann S, Triebel H, Dietrich S, Wongkaew N, Castrop H,  Baeumner AJ. Production of Irregularly Shaped True-To-Life Microplastics with Embedded Optical Labels and Exemplary Application in an Ex Vivo Model. Environ. Sci. Technol. (2025) 59, 35, 18525–18537.
  • Bruckschlegel C, Fleischmann V, Ullrich A, Girard L, Bauduin P, Baeumner AJ, Wongkaew N. Laser-Generated Pt/Ni Nanocatalysts-Carbon Nanofibers Enabling Self-Calibrated Enzyme-Free Glucose Detection at Physiological pH. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. (2025) 417, 3337–3351.
  • Fiori S, Bruckschlegel C, Weiss K, Su K, Foedlmeier M, Della Pelle F, Scroccarello A, Compagnone D, Baeumner AJ, Wongkaew N. Laser-Induced Carbon Nanofibers as Permeable Nonenzymatic Sensor for Biomarker Detection in Breath Aerosol. Anal. Chem. (2025) 97, 8, 4293–4298.
  • Wieberneit AJ, Wongkaew N, Baeumner AJ. Novel Electrospun Zwitterionic Nanofibers for Point‐Of‐Care Nucleic Acid Isolation Strategies Under Mild Conditions. Adv. Mater. Interfaces (2024) 11, 2400329.
  • Perju A, Holzhausen F, Lauerer A-M, Wongkaew N, Baeumner AJ. Flow-Through Carbon Nanofiber-Based Transducer for Inline Electrochemical Detection in Paper-Based Analytical Devices. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces (2023) 15, 38, 44641–44653.
  • Perju A, Baeumner AJ, Wongkaew, N. Freestanding 3D-Interconnected Carbon Nanofibers as High-Performance Transducers in Miniaturized Electrochemical Sensors. Microchim. Acta (2022) 189, 424.
  • Simsek M, Hoecherl K, Schlosser M, Baeumner AJ, Wongkaew N. Printable 3D Carbon Nanofiber Networks with Embedded Metal Nanocatalysts. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces (2020) 12, 35, 39533–39540.
  • Wongkaew N, Simsek M, Heider J, Wegener J, Baeumner AJ, Schreml S, Stolwijk JA. Cytocompatibility of Mats Prepared from Different Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers. ACS Appl. Bio Mater. (2020) 3, 8, 4912–4921.
  • Wongkaew N. Nanofiber-Integrated Miniaturized Systems: an Intelligent Platform for Cancer Diagnosis. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. (2019) 411, 4251–4264.
  • Yurova NS, Danchuk A, Mobarez SN, Wongkaew N, Rusanova T, Baeumner AJ, Duerkop A. Functional Electrospun Nanofibers for Multimodal Sensitive Detection of Biogenic Amines in Food via a Simple Dipstick Assay. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. (2018) 410, 1111–1121.
  • Buchner M, Ngoensawat U, Schenck M, Fenzl C, Wongkaew N, Matlock-Colangelo L, Hirsch T, Duerkop A, Baeumner AJ. Embedded Nanolamps in Electrospun Nanofibers Enabling Online Monitoring and Ratiometric Measurements. J. Mater. Chem. C (2017) 5, 9712-9720.

Patent

  • Baeumner AJ, Wongkaew N, Perju A. Carbon Nanofiber Electrodes for Flow-Through Electrochemical Sensor. US2024402119A1