60 Years of DWI at RWTH Aachen - Interactive Materials Research

The Institute was established in 1952, with the aim of conducting research in the areas of protein chemistry and  keratin fiber research.  Even today, the abbreviation DWI hints at the institution’s initial research focus: Deutsches Wollforschungsinstitut  - German Institute for Wool Research. In the meantime, however, the institute’s key research areas have broadened and changed. Today, it pools competencies in the areas of macromolecular chemistry, nanomaterials, membrane and bio-technology, and protein engineering, with the goal of developing and investigating new interactive and bioactive functional materials, e.g. for biomedical applications. The Institute has never abandoned its roots in protein chemistry, however. Following this tradition, on the occasion of the 60^th anniversary of the research institution and in honor of its first Director, the new study hall and library “Helmut Zahn-Bibliothek” was inaugurated.