Water plays an important role in diverse disciplines. In biology it is called the "elixir of life",in chemistry it is a unique solvent. In meteorology, understanding the molecular properties of water is essential to describe the formation of clouds. Despite the many areas in which water plays a role, the exact physical and chemical processes involved in the interaction of water molecules are still the subjectsof current research.
To study water across disciplines, the research network "Maxwater" has recently been founded within the Max Planck Society. The network uses the experimental possibilities and expertise of different institutes to develop a cross-disciplinary molecular understanding of water. Such understanding is vital to enable new technologies in, for example, water cleaning, desalination and reliable climate models.
The Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics participate in the network. External partners are the Freie Universität Berlin and the universities of Zurich, Stockholm and Amsterdam.
