75 years of polymer research in Dresden

Impressions of IPF Dresden: (A) Main building established in 1952 (© Emanuel Richter) (B) Max-Bergmann Center of Biomaterials (2002) (© Emanuel Richter), and (C) IPF Institute of Theory of Polymers with central facilities (2020) (© Jörg Simanowski).

The present Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (IPF) has a long and multifaceted history. In 1948, a textile research institute was founded at the spinning mill Mitteldeutsche Spinnhütte in Pirna-Copitz near Dresden to be developed to an institute of the Technische Hochschule (today Technische Universität) Dresden. In January 1950, this Institute of Technology of Fibers became a member of the (East) German Academy of Sciences at Berlin and developed to a well established polymer institute covering various aspects of polymer science including synthesis, characterization and processing, with special expertise in interfacial phenomena of polymer materials. In 1984, the institute was re-named to Institute of Technology of Polymers and with its profile and research quality it was successfully evaluated after the reunification of Germany. In 1992, the institute was re-founded as a member of today's Leibniz Association (with Max Planck Society, Helmholtz Association, and Fraunhofer Society one of the four pillars of Germany's non-university research).

Already in 1952, the institute moved close to Dresden main railway station, to the grounds of the former Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Leather Research that had been destroyed during the Second World War. The founding director of that Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, Max Bergmann, made pioneering contributions to biomacromolecules synthesis and emigrated to the USA in 1933 were he established a world-leading peptide synthesis laboratory at Rockefeller University in New York. The IPF acknowledged this fact in 2002 by naming a new joint building that houses research activities on biomaterials of IPF and Technische Universität Dresden after him (“Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials”). In 2020, the IPF was further expanded with a building for the IPF Institute of Theory of Polymers, besides providing central facilities and guest apartments.

Over the years, the IPF has significantly grown and broadened its profile, now covering polymer material science comprehensively. Today it consists of five IPF institutes with about 500 coworkers: Macromolecular Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Polymers Physics, Polymer Materials, Biofunctional Polymer Materials, and Theory of Polymers. It holds seven joint professorships with TU Dresden in different disciplines comprising chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering and material science, as well as medicine, complemented with a professorship to be established soon in electrical engineering. Central research avenues of IPF cover bioinspired, interactive, and surface-engineered materials and systems, as well as process-engineering of hybrid & multiphase (composite) materials. Exploiting the full potential of biomimetic materials and bridging the gap between soft biomaterials and hard electronics recently became a major strategic aim of IPF research. In addition, translating and technology transfer, demonstrated with successful recent start-ups, are important elements of our activities. The IPF is dedicated to “applied fundamental research” and with this follows the approaches of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Thus, the former textile institute has developed to a very innovative, dynamic and internationally well renowned polymer institute positioned within an exceptional collaborative research environment in Dresden.

In 2023, we look back on 75 years of polymer research in Dresden. With this special issue, we would like to share with you some examples of recent research results along our own research avenues as well as those of our collaboration partners. The collection of article covers research on functional and performance polymer materials but also gives you a glance of future prospects of the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research in developing fields like biomimetic materials, electronic tissue technologies, DNA nanotechnology, and self-assembly for plasmonic nanoparticles.

On this special occasion, we want to thank all present and former IPF coworkers and collaboration partners for their excellent work and we thank the authors, reviewers, and editorial staff at the Journal of Polymer Science who made this special issue possible. We hope the readership finds it of interest.