science wire

Reactive nano-multilayers are considered to be a revolution in joining technology. They are envisaged for joining heat-sensitive materials that would otherwise be damaged or even destroyed upon conventional soldering.

Tanja Zimmermann joined Empa's Board of Directors in September. She runs the new Functional Materials department - another step up in a successful career that began in Empa's Wood lab. Thanks to her inquisitiveness, creativity and an eye for the impossible, Zimmermann helped lift a previously little-known research field onto the international stage "Creativity is a basic requirement in research." Tanja Zimmermann is speaking from experience.

An e-bike fueled with hydrogen instead of electricity? No, this is not a utopia, but reality: industrial gas specialist Linde has developed a hydrogen pedelec equipped with a compact fuel cell instead of the usual battery. Florian Freund was inspired by the invention for his Matura thesis: He developed a prototype with which the hydrogen e-bike can be refuelled safely at the H2 filling station on the Empa mobility demonstrator move.

AI is set to trigger a major transformation in society. As soon as algorithms influence our voting habits or design school curricula, it is up to politics to limit the damage. A new study on the opportunities and risks of AI is now being conducted on behalf of TA-Swiss. Artificial intelligence (AI) is not just about the irritatingly charming face of a "humanoid robot" gazing inquisitively at us.

In January 2018 the first pan-European database for secondary raw materials, including many "critical" ones, went online. Ever since, we have known more about which raw material depots reside in cars, batteries and electronic devices sold, used and stored in the 28 EU countries - and ultimately recycled or disposed of.

CTsystems, a spin-off of Empa, and Daetwyler, the Swiss specialist for sealing solutions, partner up to market and industrialize polymer transducer technology. CTsystems has already presented the first prototype of electromechanical polymer converters in stack construction: As an actuator, this converts electrical energy into mechanical work with an «integrated» sensor function.

It is exactly 20 years since experts from Empa and VERT published the first test results on diesel particle filters.

Transistors based on carbon nanostructures: what sounds like a futuristic dream could be reality in just a few years' time.

Researchers from Empa and the University of Geneva have developed a prototype of a novel solid sodium battery with the potential to store extra energy. Phones, laptops, electric cars - batteries are everywhere. And to meet the expectations of today's consumers, these batteries are increasin­gly lighter, more powerful and designed to last longer.

In the future, new designer alloys for aerospace applications can be manufactured using the 3-D laser melting process (Additive Manufacturing).

Wood could potentially replace petrol in chemistry and concrete in construction, according to studies conducted under the National Research Programme "Resource Wood".

An artificial heart would be an absolute lifesaver for people with cardiac failure. However, to recreate the complex organ in the laboratory, one would first need to work out how to grow multi-layered, living tissues.

Buildings made of reusable components: that is the aim of a research collaboration between Empa and the University of Luxembourg.

Each year, the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) presents its Publication Award to researchers who have made an exceptional scientific contribution to the field of waste disposal. For the second time in a row, the prize has been won by the Empa researcher David Turner, this year for his analyses of the environmental effects of different methods of waste disposal.

Lithium ion batteries are flammable and the price of the raw material is rising. Are there alternatives' Yes: Empa and ETH Zürich researchers have discovered promising approaches as to how we might produce batteries out waste graphite and scrap metal.

In spite of medical advances, wound-related complications arising after operations can still be life-threatening. In order to avoid these complications in the future, a new nanoparticle-based tissue glue has been developed by researchers at Empa. There are internal and external areas of the body where it is difficult to apply stitches.

A team of Empa scientists has developed a biosensor which allows them to detect elevated concentrations of copper in a simple, quick and economic way. Copper, like other heavy metals is problematic in high concentrations, both for the environment and for human health. It is no secret that heavy metals such as copper are dangerous substances which can have grave consequences for both our environment and for human health.

Over the last few years, Empa scientists have developed a novel process that fuses synthetic fiber fabrics - making the "seam" airtight and waterproof. In order to exploit the innovative technology commercially, Empa researchers Alexander Haag and Michel Schmid recently founded the spin-off "Nahtlos", located in the Startfeld innovation center in St. Gallen right next door to Empa.

Swiss start-up Flisom is ready for the global market: The company, a spin-off from ETH Zürich and Empa, has developed a unique roll-to-roll process for the cost-effective production of flexible and highly efficient thin-film solar modules.

What can we do with aging scooter batteries' Instead of scrapping them and recycling their components, the batteries could be left intact and re-used in a solar power storage cabinet.

A Swiss consortium of companies is constructing the largest electric vehicle in the world - in record time.

Goodbye to fossil fuels, hello to renewables: Empa demonstrates how the mobility of the future can work without fossil energy in its mobility demonstrator "move".

There is a growing need in our society for fitness and wellness, which generally incurs environmental costs and swallows up large quantities of energy.

Researchers at ETH Zurich, Empa and the Norwegian research institute SINTEF are pursuing a new approach to treating arthritis.

June 2017 broke quite a few weather records in Switzerland. Above all the month was extraordinarily hot, the second hottest June on records, peaking in a heat wave between 19 and 23 June. Cities heat up even more than the surrounding regions, an effect known as urban heat islands.

In May 2016, Patrick Wäger took over the helm at Empa's Technology and Society lab. Closing material cycles and performing life cycle and technology assessments are just some of the topics that now come under his dominion.

At the Empa and Eawag NEST building in Dübendorf, eight ETH Zurich professors are collaborating with business partners to build the three-storey DFAB HOUSE.

Researchers are on the lookout for rapid, reliable and affordable switches for the opto-electronics of the future.

Even before the UN Ocean Conference in early June, we already knew about the disastrous ways in which plastic affects the world's oceans. Billions of pieces of plastic are floating in the oceans. Their effects are also sufficiently well-known: marine animals swallow them or get tangled up in them, which causes them to die in agony.

This year, Empa plays host to the biennial conference of the European Asphalt Technology Association (EATA).

Are new gasoline cars environmentally friendly? Not always, says a new study led by Empa scientists: some direct-injection gasoline engines emit just as many soot particles as unfiltered diesel cars did in the past.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) will soon show our world in a new light: the days of small light sources are numbered; in future, entire walls, ceilings, façades and car exteriors will light up our lives.

On May 2, at the ground-breaking ceremony for the NEST unit 'dfab house', the project team, consisting of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) 'Digital Fabrication', ETH Zurich and nu

Ten million people in Europe alone suffer from cardiac insufficiency, or a weak heart. One day, many of them may require a heart transplant.

The textile and clothing industry has a long history in Switzerland. In order to remain competitive in the international market, the industry relies on innovations.