A data river runs through it

Data and signals can be transmitted quickly and reliably with glass fibers – as long as the fiber does not break. Strong bending or tensile stress can quickly destroy it. An Empa team has now developed a fiber with a liquid glycerol core that is...
29-Jul-2021 5:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Historical Buildings – Thermally Insulated to Current State

On July 15, 2021, the Aerogel Architecture Award was presented for the first time at Empa, recognizing successful energy renovations using aerogel insulating materials. The winners were two projects from Germany and one from Switzerland. The...
26-Jul-2021 8:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Automobile Class Society

Up to now passenger cars are classified by experts in each country into categories such as micro, small, middle, upper middle, large and luxury class. But this old fashioned method has limitations in terms of compatibility. Moreover, some crossover...
20-Jul-2021 8:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Filled Energy Saving Bar

Insulation webs are essential in aluminum window profiles and facades for good thermal insulation. Empa researchers and their partners have been working for some time on a novel "sandwich" product with an environmentally friendly filling: recycled...
15-Jul-2021 4:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Molecules in Collective Ecstasy

When fluorescent dye molecules nestle perfectly together, something completely new is created: an excited state distributed over many molecules. Such collective excitations can be used in a variety of ways – for organic solar panels, in sensors,...
13-Jul-2021 4:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Composing New Energy Systems

Modern, decentralized energy systems are a highly complex matter. Planning them in an optimal and cost-efficient way is a major challenge for energy planners. Sympheny, an Empa spin-off, offers a software that helps planners to find the most...
1-Jul-2021 8:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Solar energy from the deep repository

During the winter months, renewable energy is in short supply throughout Europe. An international project is now considering an unconventional solution: Renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide are pumped into the ground together, where naturally...
22-Jun-2021 7:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Detoxifiers From The Landfill

Bacteria from an Indian landfill could help eliminate contaminated chemicals. The focus is on pesticides such as lindane or brominated flame retardants, which accumulate in nature and in food chains. Researchers at Empa and Eawag used these bacteria...
17-Jun-2021 5:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites