FAU researchers reveal the secret of the famous Pazyryk carpet Why are the red, yellow, and blue colours used in the world’s oldest knotted-pile carpet still so vivid and bright, even after almost two and a half thousand years? Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg have now been able to uncover the secrets behind the so-called Pazyryk carpet using high-resolution x-ray fluorescence microscopy. Their findings have been published in the journal Scientific Reports. The Pazyryk carpet is the world’s oldest example of…

Researchers of the Center for Photonics and Two-Dimensional Materials at MIPT, together with their colleagues from Spain, Great Britain, Sweden, and Singapore, including co-creator of the world’s first 2D material and Nobel laureate Konstantin Novoselov, have measured giant optical anisotropy in layered molybdenum disulfide crystals for the first time. The scientists suggest that such transition metal dichalcogenide crystals will replace silicon in photonics. Birefringence with a giant difference in refractive indices, characteristic of these substances, will make it possible to…

Researchers from the Kleij group present a new route to prepare biobased polyesters with tuneable properties. Finding innovative and sustainable solutions to our material needs is one of the core objectives of green chemistry. The myriad plastics that envelop our daily life – from mattresses to food and cars – are mostly made from oil-based monomers which are the building blocks of polymers. Therefore, finding bio-based monomers for polymer synthesis is attractive to achieve more sustainable solutions in materials development….

The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML is developing a new generation of automated guided vehicles. “LoadRunners” use artificial intelligence and communicate via 5G to organize themselves as a swarm and execute jobs independently. Able to sort large quantities of packages, this high-speed transporter can serve booming online and mail-order businesses well. The coronavirus crisis has given Germany’s e-commerce a big boost. More and more consumers are shopping online to avoid the crowds in stores and minimize the…

The danger of becoming infected with the coronavirus is especially high in enclosed spaces. This is because aerosols – which play a key role in the transmission of COVID-19 – increase the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor spaces. A new ventilation system developed by two Fraunhofer Institutes is able to filter the virus from ambient air. It then destroys the virus in a process known as cold combustion, leaving behind nothing but small quantities of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. With…

Many swimming pools in Germany do not have enough trained lifeguards and in many places, this skilled labor shortage is even leading to closures. The solution could be a floating underwater rescue robot, which is intended to support rescue staff in emergencies in the future. A research team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB in Ilmenau developed the underwater vehicle with the help of Halle’s water rescue service, Wasserrettungsdienstes Halle e.V. According to the…

The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden is strengthening its technological expertise in the field of pressure-supported heat treatment with the new acquisition of a Quintus Hot Isostatic Press QIH 15L. This significantly expands the possibilities, which were previously focused on spark plasma sintering technology. The researchers see the main areas of application for the new facility in, on one hand, the development of combined processes, i.e. heat treatment and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) for…

Every year, hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide are emitted through maritime transport, causing serious harm to the climate. As scientists around the world test new propulsion methods capable of replacing fuel oil in ships, Fraunhofer researchers are working as part of an international consortium to develop ammonia-based fuel cells. When used as fuel for ships with electric engines, ammonia is as eco-friendly as hydrogen, but easier and safer to handle. At present, hydrogen is the primary focus…

New joint project at the University of Bayreuth Lithium-ion batteries are currently the most important category of electrical energy storage device. Their operational safety depends crucially on separators that ensure the spatial separation of the electrodes. With the aim of further increasing the safety of high-tech batteries, and at the same time extending their service life, the University of Bayreuth is set to develop novel separators made of glass together with renowned industrial partners. The joint project “Glass separators for…

Biomaterials from Potsdam for Charité dentists   Two fundamental researchers from the Department of Biomaterials are involved in the interdisciplinary research project ‘InterDent’. It aims at making dental fillings and tooth restorations more durable in the future. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding this project with 2.1 million euros, initially for three years. ‘Together with dental colleagues from Charité, we will study how mineralized biofilms interact with artificial filling materials. Ultimately, this fundamental knowledge will help designing such materials…

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the partner institute Empa have started a joint initiative called SynFuels. The goal is to develop a process for producing kerosene from renewable resources. In this way liquid fuel mixtures of the highest quality, which would allow the most residue-free combustion possible and thus be suitable for aircraft propulsion, should be obtainable using carbon dioxide and hydrogen from renewable resources. Mobility without fossil fuels – in aviation too: SynFuels, the new joint…

Helicopters are to become faster, greener and quieter. An international team led by Airbus Helicopters (AH) is working on the technology to achieve these goals with the RACER demonstrator. Scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have designed an aerodynamically shape-optimized rotor head full fairing for the innovative RACER rotorcraft. The fairing will reduce energy consumption and make higher speeds possible. Vertical take-off and landing aircraft are essential whenever there’s not enough room for runways, for example in mountain…

Fluid flow engineers and electrical engineers are jointly developing turbine blades with special integrated drives Tidal hydroelectric power plants of the future will be able to generate “green” electricity significantly more efficient by using optimized turbines. Engineers from the University Otto von Guericke of Magdeburg are developing turbine blades with built-in motors. These integrated drives ensure that during each revolution, the turbine blades adjust optimally to the water flow, and thus avoid the dangerous stall condition. This term describes the…

Graphene Flagship researchers have developed a new measurement standard for the analysis of graphene and layered materials that could accelerate production and optimise device fabrication. X-ray scans revolutionised medical treatments by allowing us to see inside humans without surgery. Similarly, terahertz spectroscopy penetrates graphene films allowing scientists to make detailed maps of their electrical quality, without damaging or contaminating the material. The Graphene Flagship brought together researchers from academia and industry to develop and mature this analytical technique, and now…

Things just got hairy at Princeton. Researchers found they could coat a liquid elastic on the outside of a disc and spin it to form useful, complex patterns. When spun just right, tiny spindles rise from the material as it cures. The spindles grow as the disc accelerates, forming a soft solid that resembles hairs. Inspired by biological designs and rationalized with mathematical precision, the new method could be used at an industrial scale for production with plastics, glasses, metals…

Novel catalyst material promises long-lasting, high-capacity, next-generation rechargeable batteries. At the heart of most electronics today are rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). But their energy storage capacities are not enough for large-scale energy storage systems (ESSs). Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) could be useful in such a scenario due to their higher theoretical energy storage capacity. They could even replace LIBs in other applications like drones, given their light weight and lower cost. But the same mechanism that is giving them all this…