Filters close
Newswise: Smart protection for delicate skin
Released: 11-Mar-2024 3:05 AM EDT
Smart protection for delicate skin
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Skin injuries caused by prolonged pressure often occur in people who are unable to change their position independently – such as sick newborns in hospitals or elderly people. Thanks to successful partnerships with industry and research, Empa scientists are now launching two smart solutions for pressure sores.

   
Newswise: Platform chemicals from CO2
Released: 6-Mar-2024 3:05 AM EST
Platform chemicals from CO2
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Is it possible to convert CO2 back to fuels or other useful chemicals? Absolutely – but not in a very targeted way just yet. Empa researcher Alessandro Senocrate is looking at defects in materials that will help us achieve this goal.

Newswise: Packaged in beer
Released: 27-Feb-2024 3:05 AM EST
Packaged in beer
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Empa researchers have extracted nanocellulose from a waste product of beer brewing and processed it into an aerogel. The high-quality biodegradable material could be used in food packaging.

Newswise: Graphene research: numerous products, no acute dangers
Released: 22-Feb-2024 8:05 AM EST
Graphene research: numerous products, no acute dangers
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

The largest EU research initiative ever launched has come to a successful end: The Graphene Flagship was officially concluded at the end of last year. Empa researchers were also involved, such as molecular biologist Peter Wick, who was part of the Health and Environment work package from the very beginning – and has just summarized the findings in this area with international colleagues in a comprehensive review article in the specialist journal ACS Nano.

Newswise: It's the spin that makes the difference
Released: 20-Feb-2024 4:05 AM EST
It's the spin that makes the difference
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Biomolecules such as amino acids and sugars occur in two mirror-image forms – in all living organisms, however, only one is ever found. Why this is the case is still unclear. Researchers at Empa and Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany have now found evidence that the interplay between electric and magnetic fields could be at the origin of this phenomenon.

Newswise: Spiky insight: How red blood cells deform
Released: 6-Feb-2024 2:05 AM EST
Spiky insight: How red blood cells deform
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Empa researchers have observed living red blood cells transforming into spiky "echinocytes" in real time when treated with high concentrations of ibuprofen using holotomographic microscopy and displayed them in 3D renderings.

Newswise:Video Embedded virtual-noise-assessment-for-passenger-jet-of-the-future
VIDEO
Released: 25-Jan-2024 8:05 AM EST
Virtual noise assessment for passenger jet of the future
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Instead of tubular commercial aircraft, other designs could be used in the future: Jets with a blended wing body would fly more efficiently and make less noise – but how would the noise emissions from these new types of aircraft affect people? Empa researchers have investigated this in their acoustics lab.

Newswise: Soldering wounds with light and nano thermometers
Released: 16-Jan-2024 3:05 AM EST
Soldering wounds with light and nano thermometers
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Not every wound can be closed with needle and thread. Empa researchers have now developed a soldering process with nanoparticles that gently fuses tissue.

Newswise: Building on CO2
Released: 8-Jan-2024 8:05 AM EST
Building on CO2
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

The construction industry as a CO2 sink? Researchers at Empa's Concrete & Asphalt lab are working on this. By incorporating biochar into concrete, they are exploring the potential of CO2-neutral or even CO2-negative concrete.

Newswise: Bacteria, stay out!
Released: 28-Nov-2023 3:05 AM EST
Bacteria, stay out!
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Hospital germs and pathogens are not always transmitted directly from person to person. They can also spread via germ-contaminated surfaces and objects.

Newswise: Mapping the meniscus
Released: 21-Nov-2023 4:05 AM EST
Mapping the meniscus
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Knee operations on the meniscus cartilage are a frequent procedure on a particularly complex part of the human body. Empa researchers want to provide an improved basis for clinicians in order to reduce the risks of the operation.

   
Newswise: This is a battery
Released: 14-Nov-2023 4:05 AM EST
This is a battery
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Non-toxic and scalable water-based flow batteries would be a good solution for storing renewable energy in urban areas – if it weren't for their very low energy density. Empa researcher David Reber wants to remedy the situation with clever materials design.

Newswise: What is the battery of the future made of?
Released: 7-Nov-2023 3:05 AM EST
What is the battery of the future made of?
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

The Empa research group led by Maksym Kovalenko is researching innovative materials for the batteries of tomorrow. Whether it's fast-charging electric cars or low-cost stationary storage, there's a promising material or a novel manufacturing process for every application.

Newswise: Good bacteria for bad wounds
Released: 2-Nov-2023 3:05 AM EDT
Good bacteria for bad wounds
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Empa researchers are developing a dressing containing probiotic lactobacilli. These are intended to heal chronically infected wounds by destroying persistent biofilms, the scientists report in a study published in the scientific journal Microbes and Infection.

   
Newswise: Concrete as CO2 trap – right at the plant
Released: 12-Oct-2023 2:05 AM EDT
Concrete as CO2 trap – right at the plant
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

After their production, which emits a lot of carbon dioxide, cement-based building materials such as concrete absorb the climate gas again – a process that takes decades and can hardly be controlled.

Newswise:Video Embedded clean-dirt
VIDEO
Released: 5-Oct-2023 3:05 AM EDT
Clean dirt
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Environmentally friendly, ubiquitously available and recyclable: Clay is a clean alternative among building materials. Empa researcher Ellina Bernard is trying to find out how the coveted material can actually be used to build in a sustainable and stable way. Her research project is being funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) with an Ambizione grant.

Newswise:Video Embedded virtual-rail-noise-close-to-reality
VIDEO
Released: 21-Sep-2023 3:05 AM EDT
Virtual rail noise – close to reality
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

At Empa, acoustics experts have been investigating for years how noise is generated by passenger and cargo trains – and which technical and structural measures are particularly effective to prevent or at least reduce it.

Newswise:Video Embedded accelerating-battery-research-with-robots
VIDEO
Released: 14-Sep-2023 2:05 AM EDT
Accelerating battery research with robots
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Empa researchers want to accelerate the development of urgently needed new energy storage systems with the help of the Aurora battery robot. The Aurora project is part of the European research initiative Battery2030+, which was recently awarded over 150 million euros in funding by the EU. In addition, the project is part of the ETH Board's "Open Research Data" initiative, which promotes digitization and free access to research data.

Newswise: Paving the Way for More Asphalt Recycling
Released: 7-Sep-2023 2:05 AM EDT
Paving the Way for More Asphalt Recycling
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Switzerland is built, at least as far as the road network is concerned. Therefore – and despite recycling –, significantly more reclaimed asphalt is generated today than can be reused in new roads. Empa researcher Martins Zaumanis has set himself the goal of increasing the recycled content of asphalt – with adapted production methods and simple instructions. Two test sections with recycled asphalt in Uster and on the Lukmanier Pass are promising.

Newswise: Rechargable revolution
Released: 29-Aug-2023 3:05 AM EDT
Rechargable revolution
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

The Empa spin-off BTRY wants to revolutionize rechargeable batteries: Their thin-film batteries are not only safer and longer-lasting than conventional lithium-ion batteries, they are also much more environmentally friendly to manufacture and can be charged and discharged in just one minute. For now, the battery is very small, but the founders have big plans for it.

Newswise: New epoxy resin resists flames and reduces waste
Released: 22-Aug-2023 4:05 AM EDT
New epoxy resin resists flames and reduces waste
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Empa researchers have developed an epoxy resin that can be repaired and recycled, in addition to being flame-retardant and mechanically strong. Potential applications range from coating for wooden flooring to composites in aerospace and railways.

Newswise: ‘Green Transition’ needs enhanced action on sustainable minerals and metals
Released: 17-Aug-2023 9:00 AM EDT
‘Green Transition’ needs enhanced action on sustainable minerals and metals
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Climate change discussions often overlook the central role played by the excessive extraction and use of natural resources. The topic, however, will be the central focus of two events being hosted back-to-back in Geneva in September: The World Resources Forum 2023 with Empa, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Resource Panel, and the UNEP Global Intergovernmental Meeting on Minerals and Metals.

Newswise: Carbon-based quantum technology
Released: 15-Aug-2023 8:45 AM EDT
Carbon-based quantum technology
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Graphene nanoribbons have outstanding properties that can be precisely controlled. Researchers from Empa and ETH Zurich, in collaboration with partners from Peking University, the University of Warwick and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, have succeeded in attaching electrodes to individual atomically precise nanoribbons, paving the way for precise characterization of the fascinating ribbons and their possible use in quantum technology.

Newswise: Masters of defects
Released: 25-Jul-2023 7:20 AM EDT
Masters of defects
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Bruno Schuler and his young team are embarking on an ambitious research project: He will selectively generate defects in atomically-thin semiconductor layers and attempt to measure and control their quantum properties with simultaneous picosecond temporal resolu­tion and atomic precision. The resulting insights are expected to establish fundamental knowledge for future quantum computers.

Released: 20-Jul-2023 8:30 AM EDT
Boosting circular economy in the automotive sector
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

New vehicles are responsible for around ten percent of plastic demand in the EU, and the automotive sector is the number one consumer of raw materials like aluminum, magnesium, platinum group metals, and rare earth elements. A new set of provisions, proposed by the European Commission last week to revise the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive, intends to enhance the circularity of the automotive sector. Empa researchers played a crucial role in defining the content of this new proposal.

Released: 11-Jul-2023 8:15 AM EDT
Widespread illegal trade of hazardous chemicals
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Researchers from Switzerland and China have studied the global trade in highly hazardous chemicals subject to a global treaty – the Rotterdam Convention. The results are sobering: Nearly half of the total trade volume of these chemicals crosses national borders illegally, calling for strong international and national action.

Newswise: 64a3c2f61e038_IMG6584.jpg
Released: 4-Jul-2023 8:40 AM EDT
The chameleon effect
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Is it possible to 3D print biodegradable sensors and displays? Researchers from Empa's Cellulose & Wood Materials laboratory have developed a cellulose-based material that allows just that. The mixture of hydroxpropyl cellulose with water, carbon nanotubes and cellulose nanofibrils changes color when heated or stretched – without the addition of any pigments.

Newswise:Video Embedded firedrone-supports-the-fire-department
VIDEO
Released: 26-Jun-2023 8:10 AM EDT
FireDrone supports the fire department
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Researchers from Empa and Imperial College London are developing a heat-resistant drone that can analyze the source of danger at close range in the event of a building or forest fire. This allows firefighters to optimize the strategy of a high-risk operation before entering the danger zone.

Newswise:Video Embedded a-spy-in-the-belly
VIDEO
Released: 15-Jun-2023 3:05 AM EDT
A "spy" in the belly
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

To ensure that wounds remain tightly sealed in the abdomen after surgery, researchers at Empa and ETH Zurich have developed a patch with a sensor function. The polymer patch warns before the occurence of dangerous leaks on sutures in the gastrointestinal tract take hold, while closes the areas on its own. A new material now enables a fast, easy and non-invasive leak diagnosis. The team recently published their findings in the journal Advanced Science.

   
Newswise: How much microplastics is there in Swiss rivers and lakes?
Released: 12-Jun-2023 3:05 AM EDT
How much microplastics is there in Swiss rivers and lakes?
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Plastic particles less than five millimeters in size, also known as microplastics, often settle far away from their point of origin. Empa researchers have now developed a model that can be used to calculate the concentration of microplastics in Swiss lakes and rivers.



close
0.3363