Salentinig Group

Stefan Salentinig is a professor of physical chemistry at the University of Fribourg, where he has established the Biocolloids lab, researching bio-inspired materials for functional foods and health applications. He holds a PhD in physical chemistry with a focus on colloids and scattering methods from the University of Graz, Austria, 2010. He then moved to Australia to take on a scientist position on functional nanomaterials at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Newcastle. In 2013 he became lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne working on nanoscale drug delivery systems, in close collaboration with the Australian Nuclear Science and Research Organization (ANSTO) and the Australian Synchrotron. In 2015 he joined Empa in St. Gallen, Switzerland as a group leader on functional materials, before starting his current role at the University of Fribourg in 2019. His lab is highly active in the adaption and integration of X-ray scattering and diffraction techniques to advance the understanding of bio-materials from the atomic to the macroscopic scale. This is supported by a strong network of national and international collaborators at large-scale research facilities and labs.

• Research Interest

  The Biocolloids Lab aims at understanding some of the fundamental principles in colloid and interface chemistry related to food and antimicrobial systems. Colloids and interfaces are key components in nature’s own functional materials and important for a wide range of applications. We study natural colloidal materials such as milk to get inspired and guided by design strategies that have been optimized by evolution over millions of years. Ultimately, we envision novel multi-functional materials with broad impact in food science and nutrition as well as drug delivery.

   

  Our research interests include (directed) self-assembly and disassembly processes for the bottom-up creation of new adaptive, programmable bio-nanointerfaces. We are also active in the modification and integration of scattering, spectroscopy and microscopy techniques to advance the comprehensive design and characterisation of material interactions across boundaries - on the molecular, structural and the cellular level.

   

• Selected Publications

  1. Manca M., Zhang C., Scheffold F., Salentinig S. Optical tweezer platform for the characterization of pH-triggered colloidal transformations in the oleic acid/water system. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 2022, 627, 610-620.

      

  2. Freire RVM., Hong L., Gontsarik M., Salentinig S. Bioinspired Oleic Acid–Triolein Emulsions for Functional Material Design. Advanced Materials Interfaces 2022, 2200446.
     
     

  3. Hong L., Gontsarik M., Amenitsch H., Salentinig S. Human antimicrobial peptide triggered colloidal transformations in bacteria membrane lipopolysaccharides. Small 2022, 18, 2104211.
     
     

  4. Lim S., Salentinig S. Protein Nanocage-Stabilized Pickering Emulsions. Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 2021, 101485.
     
     
  5. Watts S., Maniura-Weber K., Siqueira G., Salentinig S. Virus pH-Dependent Interactions with Cationic Cellulose and Application in Water Filtration. Small, 2021, 17, 2100307.
     
     
  6. Zabara M., Qun R., Amenitsch H., Salentinig S.Bio-Inspired Antimicrobial Coatings from Peptide-Functionalised Liquid Crystalline Nanostructures. ACS Applied Biomaterials, 2021, 2021, 4, 5295–5303.
     
     
  7. Hempt C., Gontsarik M., Buerki Thurnherr T.,Hirsch C., Salentinig S.*Nanostructure Generation During Milk Digestion in Presence of a Cell Culture Model Simulating the Small Intestine. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2020, 574, 430-440.