Aerogel – the micro structural material of the future

Aerogel is an excellent thermal insulator. So far, however, it has mainly been used on a large scale, for example in environmental technology, in physical experiments or in industrial catalysis. Empa researchers have now succeeded in making aerogels...
20-Aug-2020 8:25 AM EDT Add to Favorites

How dangerous are burning electric cars?

What happens if an electric car burns in a road tunnel or an underground car park? In the Hagerbach test tunnel in Switzerland, Empa researchers and tunnel safety expert Lars Derek Mellert set fire to battery cells of electric cars, analyzed the...
17-Aug-2020 10:05 AM EDT Add to Favorites

A wound dressing that kills bacteria

In order to combat bacterial wound infections, Empa researchers have developed cellulose membranes equipped with antimicrobial peptides. Initial results show: The skin-friendly membranes made of plant-based materials kill bacteria very efficiently.
11-Aug-2020 6:55 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Fluorine recycling for lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries contain salts rich in fluorine, which decompose in humid air to toxic, highly corrosive hydrogen fluoride. The hazardous nature of this substance makes recycling more difficult and more expensive. A research project entitled...
21-Jul-2020 8:15 AM EDT Add to Favorites

When Concrete learns to pre-stress itself

Concrete is by far the most widely used building material in the world – and the trend is rising. Using a new type of concrete formula, an Empa team has succeeded in producing self-prestressed concrete elements. This innovation makes it possible...
15-Jul-2020 6:50 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Wanted: The best storage battery

The demand for batteries to store renewable energy will grow drastically in the coming years. Could we develop more sustainable technologies to save precious natural resources, besides the familiar lithium-ion batteries?
13-Jul-2020 6:35 AM EDT Add to Favorites

The lightest shielding material in the world

Empa researchers have succeeded in applying aerogels to microelectronics: Aerogels based on cellulose nanofibers can effectively shield electromagnetic radiation over a wide frequency range – and they are unrivalled in terms of weight.
2-Jul-2020 7:10 AM EDT Add to Favorites

Wearable Health

There is more than cool looks about hip clothing for top performance: Thanks to a variety of smart technologies, high-tech clothing today is capable of analyzing body functions or actively optimizing the microclimate. The basis of these novel...
29-Jun-2020 11:55 AM EDT Add to Favorites

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