News 2019
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Materials Science - Health - 08.07.2019
Materials Science - Health - 08.07.2019 
Scars: gone with the foam
Poorly healing wounds and severe scarring are more than just a cosmetic problem; they can significantly impair a person's mobility and health. Empa researchers have now developed a foam that is supposed to prevent excessive scarring and help wounds to heal quickly. An essential ingredient: the yellow ginger tumeric.
Materials Science - Health - 08.07.2019 
Wood on our Skin
Physiological parameters in our blood can be determined without painful punctures. Empa researchers are currently working with a Canadian team to develop flexible, biocompatible nanocellulose sensors that can be attached to the skin. The 3D-printed analytic chips made of renewable raw materials will even be biodegradable in future.
Materials Science - Health - 08.07.2019 
Wood on our Skin
Physiological parameters in our blood can be determined without painful punctures. Empa researchers are currently working with a Canadian team to develop flexible, biocompatible nanocellulose sensors that can be attached to the skin. The 3D-printed analytic chips made of renewable raw materials will even be biodegradable in future.
Materials Science - Health - 08.07.2019 
Scars: gone with the foam
Poorly healing wounds and severe scarring are more than just a cosmetic problem; they can significantly impair a person's mobility and health. Empa researchers have now developed a foam that is supposed to prevent excessive scarring and help wounds to heal quickly. An essential ingredient: the yellow ginger tumeric.
Innovation / Technology - Materials Science - 03.07.2019
Computer Science / Telecom - Materials Science - 03.07.2019 
With Little Training, Machine-Learning Algorithms Can Uncover Hidden Scientific Knowledge
Sure, computers can be used to play grandmaster-level chess , but can they make scientific discoveries' Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have shown that an algorithm with no training in materials science can scan the text of millions of papers and uncover new scientific knowledge.
Astronomy / Space Science - Materials Science - 28.06.2019 
When CubeSats meet asteroid
ESA's Hera mission for planetary defence, being designed to survey the smallest asteroid ever explored, is really three spacecraft in one. The main mothership will carry two briefcase-sized CubeSats, which will touch down on the target body. A French team has been investigating what might happen at that initial instant of alien contact.
Materials Science - Environment - 25.06.2019
Physics - Materials Science - 25.06.2019 
New findings could lead to cheaper solar cells
Effective atomic interactions in complex materials picked up by on-the-fly machine-learning At the atomic scale materials can show a rich palette of dynamic behaviour, which directly affects the physical properties of these materials. For many years, it has been a dream to describe these dynamics in complex materials at various temperatures using computer simulations.
Materials Science - Environment - 21.06.2019 
Perovskite solar cells tested for real-world performance - in the lab
Researchers bring diurnal and seasonal variations into the lab to test the performance of perovskite solar cells under realistic conditions. It was only ten years ago that metal-halide perovskites were discovered to be photovoltaic materials. Today, perovskite solar cells made are almost as efficient as the best conventional silicon ones, and there is much hope that they will become a highly efficient and low-cost alternative, as they can be manufactured by rather simple and fast methods like printing.
Physics - Materials Science - 17.06.2019 
You Don’t Have to Be Perfect for TMDCs to Shine Bright
Atomically thin semiconductors known as TMDCs (transition metal dichalcogenides) could lead to devices that operate more efficiently than conventional semiconductors in light-emitting diodes, lasers, and solar cells. But these materials are hard to make without defects that dampen their performance.
Materials Science - 17.06.2019 
Groundbreaking Study Maps Out Paths to New Nitride Materials
Formed by elements combining with nitrogen, nitrides can possess unique properties with potential applications from semiconductors to industrial coatings. But before nitrides can be put to use, they first must be discovered - and the odds of finding them in nature are slim. Now, your chances of discovering new nitrides just got better with a groundbreaking Nature Materials study led by Berkeley Lab in close collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and a number of other institutions.
Physics - Materials Science - 17.06.2019 
’Hot spots’ increase efficiency of solar desalination
Rice University engineers boost output of solar desalination system by 50% Rice University's solar-powered approach for purifying salt water with sunlight and nanoparticles is even more efficient than its creators first believed. Researchers in Rice's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) this week showed they could boost the efficiency of their solar-powered desalination system by more than 50% simply by adding inexpensive plastic lenses to concentrate sunlight into "hot spots.” The results are available online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Chemistry - Materials Science - 12.06.2019
Materials Science - Physics - 11.06.2019 
Pulsed Electron Beams Shed Light on Plastics Production
A new electron microscopy technique developed by Berkeley Lab provides new insight into how plastics are made; could pave way for sustainable plastics Plastics are all around us - they make up our water bottles, trash bags, packing materials, toys, containers, and more. About 300 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide each year, yet the details of what goes on at the atomic scale during the plastics production process is still unclear.
Materials Science - Physics - 04.06.2019 
New material with magnetic shape memory
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and ETH Zurich have developed a new material whose shape memory is activated by magnetism. It retains a given shape when it is put into a magnetic field. It is a composite material consisting of two components. What is special about the new material is that, unlike previous shape-memory materials, it consists of a polymer and droplets of a so-called magnetorheological fluid embedded in it.
Physics - Materials Science - 29.05.2019 
Quantum information gets a boost from thin-film breakthrough
Method opens new path to all-optical quantum computers, other technologies An innovative method for controlling single-photon emission for specific locations in 2D materials may offer a new path toward all-optical quantum computers and other quantum technologies. This image shows a false-color scanning electron micrograph of the array used to create place single-photon sources in epitaxial tungsten diselenide.
Physics - Materials Science - 29.05.2019
Materials Science - 29.05.2019 
Desired deformation
Since last week there is a unique wooden building in the Remstal near Stuttgart: a tower made of self-formed spruce boards. The method, which has been developed at Empa and ETH Zurich, uses the natural swelling and shrinking of wood under the influence of moisture and thus enables a new and unexpected architecture for the construction with the renewable and sustainable resource of wood.
Materials Science
Results 61 - 80 of 144.
Deceptively real
The human heart still poses great challenges to modern medicine. More than ten million people in Europe suffer from heart failure, and quite a few of them need a donor organ. Artificial heart pumps are used to bridge the waiting time, but complications are not uncommon. The "Zurich Heart" project, in which Empa is a partner, is developing solutions.
The human heart still poses great challenges to modern medicine. More than ten million people in Europe suffer from heart failure, and quite a few of them need a donor organ. Artificial heart pumps are used to bridge the waiting time, but complications are not uncommon. The "Zurich Heart" project, in which Empa is a partner, is developing solutions.
Poorly healing wounds and severe scarring are more than just a cosmetic problem; they can significantly impair a person's mobility and health. Empa researchers have now developed a foam that is supposed to prevent excessive scarring and help wounds to heal quickly. An essential ingredient: the yellow ginger tumeric.
Physiological parameters in our blood can be determined without painful punctures. Empa researchers are currently working with a Canadian team to develop flexible, biocompatible nanocellulose sensors that can be attached to the skin. The 3D-printed analytic chips made of renewable raw materials will even be biodegradable in future.
Physiological parameters in our blood can be determined without painful punctures. Empa researchers are currently working with a Canadian team to develop flexible, biocompatible nanocellulose sensors that can be attached to the skin. The 3D-printed analytic chips made of renewable raw materials will even be biodegradable in future.
Poorly healing wounds and severe scarring are more than just a cosmetic problem; they can significantly impair a person's mobility and health. Empa researchers have now developed a foam that is supposed to prevent excessive scarring and help wounds to heal quickly. An essential ingredient: the yellow ginger tumeric.
New technique could brighten screens and make smartphone batteries last longer
Our future TV and smartphone screens could have double the energy efficiency, thanks to a technique invented by Imperial scientists. The pixels in many modern screens for TVs, smartphones, tablets, and laptops are lit by little devices called OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes). The findings could make screens of all kinds brighter, with better contrast and longer life.
Our future TV and smartphone screens could have double the energy efficiency, thanks to a technique invented by Imperial scientists. The pixels in many modern screens for TVs, smartphones, tablets, and laptops are lit by little devices called OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes). The findings could make screens of all kinds brighter, with better contrast and longer life.
Sure, computers can be used to play grandmaster-level chess , but can they make scientific discoveries' Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have shown that an algorithm with no training in materials science can scan the text of millions of papers and uncover new scientific knowledge.
ESA's Hera mission for planetary defence, being designed to survey the smallest asteroid ever explored, is really three spacecraft in one. The main mothership will carry two briefcase-sized CubeSats, which will touch down on the target body. A French team has been investigating what might happen at that initial instant of alien contact.
Researchers pioneer method to purify water using solar energy
As the global population grows, fresh water supplies are more precious than ever. While scientists and engineers know how to purify water, making those methods sustainable and energy efficient is another question. One promising approach is solar-driven distillation, or solar steam generation, which can help us get fresh water from wastewater or seawater.
As the global population grows, fresh water supplies are more precious than ever. While scientists and engineers know how to purify water, making those methods sustainable and energy efficient is another question. One promising approach is solar-driven distillation, or solar steam generation, which can help us get fresh water from wastewater or seawater.
Effective atomic interactions in complex materials picked up by on-the-fly machine-learning At the atomic scale materials can show a rich palette of dynamic behaviour, which directly affects the physical properties of these materials. For many years, it has been a dream to describe these dynamics in complex materials at various temperatures using computer simulations.
Researchers bring diurnal and seasonal variations into the lab to test the performance of perovskite solar cells under realistic conditions. It was only ten years ago that metal-halide perovskites were discovered to be photovoltaic materials. Today, perovskite solar cells made are almost as efficient as the best conventional silicon ones, and there is much hope that they will become a highly efficient and low-cost alternative, as they can be manufactured by rather simple and fast methods like printing.
Atomically thin semiconductors known as TMDCs (transition metal dichalcogenides) could lead to devices that operate more efficiently than conventional semiconductors in light-emitting diodes, lasers, and solar cells. But these materials are hard to make without defects that dampen their performance.
Formed by elements combining with nitrogen, nitrides can possess unique properties with potential applications from semiconductors to industrial coatings. But before nitrides can be put to use, they first must be discovered - and the odds of finding them in nature are slim. Now, your chances of discovering new nitrides just got better with a groundbreaking Nature Materials study led by Berkeley Lab in close collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and a number of other institutions.
Rice University engineers boost output of solar desalination system by 50% Rice University's solar-powered approach for purifying salt water with sunlight and nanoparticles is even more efficient than its creators first believed. Researchers in Rice's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) this week showed they could boost the efficiency of their solar-powered desalination system by more than 50% simply by adding inexpensive plastic lenses to concentrate sunlight into "hot spots.” The results are available online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Carnegie Mellon Researchers Develop Semi-Liquid Metal Anode for Next-Generation Batteries
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Mellon College of Science and College of Engineering have developed a semiliquid lithium metal-based anode that represents a new paradigm in battery design. Lithium batteries made using this new electrode type could have a higher capacity and be much safer than typical lithium metal-based batteries that use lithium foil as anode.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Mellon College of Science and College of Engineering have developed a semiliquid lithium metal-based anode that represents a new paradigm in battery design. Lithium batteries made using this new electrode type could have a higher capacity and be much safer than typical lithium metal-based batteries that use lithium foil as anode.
A new electron microscopy technique developed by Berkeley Lab provides new insight into how plastics are made; could pave way for sustainable plastics Plastics are all around us - they make up our water bottles, trash bags, packing materials, toys, containers, and more. About 300 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide each year, yet the details of what goes on at the atomic scale during the plastics production process is still unclear.
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and ETH Zurich have developed a new material whose shape memory is activated by magnetism. It retains a given shape when it is put into a magnetic field. It is a composite material consisting of two components. What is special about the new material is that, unlike previous shape-memory materials, it consists of a polymer and droplets of a so-called magnetorheological fluid embedded in it.
Method opens new path to all-optical quantum computers, other technologies An innovative method for controlling single-photon emission for specific locations in 2D materials may offer a new path toward all-optical quantum computers and other quantum technologies. This image shows a false-color scanning electron micrograph of the array used to create place single-photon sources in epitaxial tungsten diselenide.
Experts develop nanolasers on silicon
Researchers at Cardiff University have shown tiny light-emitting nanolasers less than a tenth of the size of the width of a human hair can be integrated into silicon chip design. The photonic band-edge lasers can operate at superfast speeds and have the potential to help the global electronics industry deliver a range of new applications - from optical computing to remote sensing and heat seeking, Professor Diana Huffaker is Scientific Director of Cardiff University's Institute for Compound Semiconductors , based at Cardiff University's School of Physics and Astronomy.
Researchers at Cardiff University have shown tiny light-emitting nanolasers less than a tenth of the size of the width of a human hair can be integrated into silicon chip design. The photonic band-edge lasers can operate at superfast speeds and have the potential to help the global electronics industry deliver a range of new applications - from optical computing to remote sensing and heat seeking, Professor Diana Huffaker is Scientific Director of Cardiff University's Institute for Compound Semiconductors , based at Cardiff University's School of Physics and Astronomy.
Since last week there is a unique wooden building in the Remstal near Stuttgart: a tower made of self-formed spruce boards. The method, which has been developed at Empa and ETH Zurich, uses the natural swelling and shrinking of wood under the influence of moisture and thus enables a new and unexpected architecture for the construction with the renewable and sustainable resource of wood.
