Researchers at TU Graz develop green alternatives to fossil raw materials. Bio-based materials are expected to reduce pollution and drive the shift to a more sustainable economy. As a renewable resource, wood offers great potential in the fight against the climate crisis. First, it sequesters large amounts of carbon (1 ton per cubic meter!). Moreover, it is an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil based resources, which cause the majority of greenhouse gas emissions. At the Institute of Bioproducts and Paper…
Physicists at the University of Bath in the UK observe modified energy landscapes at the intersection of 2D materials. In 1884, Edwin Abbott wrote the novel Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions as a satire of Victorian hierarchy. He imagined a world that existed only in two dimensions, where the beings are 2D geometric figures. The physics of such a world is somewhat akin to that of modern 2D materials, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, which include tungsten…
A team of turbulence researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria led by Björn Hof reports that a small difference in epidemic mitigation levels can cause a discontinuous jump in infection numbers. In the article published in Nature Communications and co-authored by Marc Timme from the TU Dresden, the researchers show that limits in testing and contact tracing are responsible for this sudden change in the epidemic outcome. Testing followed up by contact tracing is extremely efficient in…
Using the smallest “construction set” in the world, a research team from the universities of Marburg, Giessen and Paderborn is designing new materials for computer chips, light-emitting diodes and solar cells. They are 50,000 times thinner than a human hair, and just a few atoms thick: two-dimensional materials are the thinnest substances it is possible to make today. They have completely new properties and are regarded as the next major step in modern semiconductor technology. In the future they could…
– that degrades on demand … This could result in battery production moving away from strategic elements like cobalt. The introduction of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries has revolutionized technology as a whole, leading to major advances in consumer goods across nearly all sectors. Battery-powered devices have become ubiquitous across the world. While the availability of technology is generally a good thing, the rapid growth has led directly to several key ethical and environmental issues surrounding the use of Li-ion batteries. Current…
DFG priority program funds four MHH projects with 1.6 million euros. For people with severe lung diseases, transplantation of a healthy organ is often the only chance of survival. But donor lungs are in short supply. A new artificial lung could provide relief. Since 2017, the German Research Foundation (DFG) has been supporting this scientific approach with its Priority Program SPP 2014 “Towards an implantable lung”. The aim is to develop an artificial lung that can be permanently implanted as…
The evolution of microchips seemed to have reached its limits, as far as their size is concerned. Nevertheless, it is crucial that these small components be-come even smaller and more powerful so that many devices — including smartphones — can be developed even further. The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT in Itzehoe and IMS Nanofabrication GmbH have now succeeded in pushing the existing boundaries when it comes to MEMS pro-cessing of a microsystem switching element which is at the…
Software plays a key role in modern science. Experiments that produce large amounts of data generally need substantial software-based analysis to extract understanding. Simulation-based research in particular yields results based solely on the computer-based generation of data and its subsequent analysis. For publications, the scientific principle of reproducibility requires that studies and processes are documented and archived to such a level that they can be repeated at a later point – by the original authors as well as by other…
In an international collaboration, researchers at the University of Stuttgart were able to detect quantum bits in two-dimensional materials for the first time. Nature Materials covers this in its May 6, 2021 issue. Quantum computers or quantum sensors consist of materials that are completely different to their classic predecessors. These materials are faced with the challenge of combining contradicting properties that quantum technologies entail, as for example good accessibility of quantum bits with maximum shielding from environmental influences. In this…
Physicists from the University of Oldenburg generate exotic quantum state in an atomically thin crystal. At extremely low temperatures, matter often behaves differently than in normal conditions. At temperatures only a few degrees above absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius), physical particles may give up their independence and merge for a short time into a single object in which all the particles share the same properties. Such structures are known as Bose-Einstein Condensates, and they represent a special aggregate state of…
Since February 2021, the canton of Grisons is using saliva-based PCR mass testing within its mobile workforce as a potential means to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce infection rates. Empa researchers are now leading the analysis of data from the first eight weeks of the testing regime. They observed a reduction in the incidence rate between 20 and 50%, depending on the business sector, and a noticeable reduction in the test positivity rate among those who were regularly tested….
Oxygen is essential for the development of higher life. However, it was hardly present in the oceans of the young Earth. It was not until the evolution of photosynthetic bacteria that the oceans saw a significant increase in oxygen levels. By measuring tungsten isotope composition, an international research team with the participation of scientists from the University of Cologne’s Institute of Geology and Mineralogy has now laid the foundation for a more precise determination of the development of oxygen levels…
Ultrasound is an indispensable tool for the life sciences and various industrial applications due to its non-destructive, high contrast, and high resolution qualities. A persistent challenge over the years has been how to increase the resolution of an acoustic endoscope without drastically increasing the footprint of the probe, or risking the robustness of the ultrasonic transducer. In recent years, a host of all-optical ultrasonic imaging techniques have emerged – which generally utilise pulsed lasers and optical cavities to excite and…
Photik Scientific takes over Sales Representation for Omicron. German laser specialist Omicron renews its global sales representation in India. With immediate effect, Photik Scientific, specialized in the distribution of laser products for research, industry, and medicine, will market the innovative laser products of Omicron in the Indian market. The laser specialist Omicron-Laserage Laserprodukte GmbH from Rodgau has renewed its sales representation in India. With immediate effect, the entire Omicron range will be offered in India by the distribution company Photik…
Researchers have created a probe that glows when it detects an enzyme associated with issues that can lead to blood clots and strokes. The team of researchers, from the Department of Chemistry and the National Lung and Heart Institute at Imperial College London, demonstrated that their probe quickly and accurately detects the enzyme in modified E. Coli cells. They are now expanding this proof-of-concept study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and funded by the British Heart…
Fraunhofer IFAM develops concept for energy-efficient debinding processes … The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden is constantly working on optimizing its processes. Particularly in processes in which near-net-shape components are manufactured, the high energy demand is addressed and solutions are found to reduce energy consumption. In binder-based additive manufacturing processes, for example, organic binders have to be removed from the component by thermal treatment, a process which has so far been very energy-intensive. Researchers…
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