Retrofitting of VW Diesel engines was successful

Using exhaust gas measurements taken from the roadside, a team from the University of York and Empa was able to prove the "Dieselgate" scandal has led to positive results. The forced retrofitting of thousands of VW diesel engines saves the...
19-May-2020 7:20 AM EDT Add to Favorites

A new biosensor for the COVID-19 virus

A team of researchers from Empa, ETH Zurich and Zurich University Hospital has succeeded in developing a novel sensor for detecting the new coronavirus. In future it could be used to measure the concentration of the virus in the environment - for...
21-Apr-2020 8:35 AM EDT Add to Favorites

The cold-start dilemma

With hybrid cars and plug-in hybrids, cold starts occur more frequently when the internal combustion engine stops and the electric motor pushes the car through town. How quickly can the catalytic converter be preheated so that it can still clean...
27-Feb-2020 10:15 AM EST Add to Favorites

Self-learning heat­ing control system saves energy

Can buildings learn to save all by themselves? Empa researchers think so. In their experiments, they fed a new self-learning heat­ing control system with temperature data from the previous year and the current weather forecast. The “smart”...
30-Jan-2020 10:15 AM EST Add to Favorites

How to induce magnetism in graphene

Graphene, a two-dimensional structure made of carbon, is a material with excellent mechani-cal, electronic and optical properties. However, it did not seem suitable for magnetic applica-tions. Together with international partners, Empa researchers...
10-Dec-2019 4:05 AM EST Add to Favorites

First field measurements of laughing gas isotopes

Thanks to a newly developed laser spectrometer, Empa researchers can for the first time show which processes in grassland lead to nitrous oxide emissions. The aim is to reduce emissions of this potent greenhouse gas by gaining a better understanding...
5-Dec-2019 5:05 AM EST Add to Favorites

With artificial intelligence to a better wood product

Empa scientist Mark Schubert and his team are using the many opportunities offered by machine learning for wood technology applications. Together with Swiss Wood Solutions, Schubert develops a digital wood-selection- and processing strategy that...
19-Nov-2019 11:05 AM EST Add to Favorites

Rubber in the environment

The tread on the tyre is worn out, new tyres are needed. Everyday life for many drivers. But where do these lost centimetres of tyre tread "disappear" to? As micro-rubbers, they mainly end up in soil and water and, to a small extent, in the air. And...
14-Nov-2019 3:05 AM EST Add to Favorites

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