Polymer patch made from dynamic polymer networks. New class of fiber-reinforced polymers in the circular economy. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM have developed a new polymer patch that can significantly accelerate and simplify previously laborious, expensive, and time-consuming repair processes on damaged lightweight aircraft components. The thermoformable, recyclable repair patch is pressed onto the damaged area and fully sets in just 30 minutes. The innovative fiber-reinforced plastic is so versatile that it can…

This winter, the SLF tested a new system to better assess the risk of avalanches to traffic routes. The results are promising and should allow roads and railroad lines to be closed for shorter periods of time in the future when conditions are tight. Early morning at the beginning of April in Davos: Pia Ruttner-Jansen swings down the ski slope at Brämabüel – then suddenly turns right into open terrain. But not for a descent in the finest powder, because…

Bacteria produce materials that are of interest to humans, such as cellulose, silk and minerals. The advantage of producing bacteria in this way is that it is sustainable, takes place at room temperature and in water. A disadvantage is that the process takes time and gives rise to quantities too small to be of industrial use. Consequently, researchers have for some time been trying to turn microorganisms into living mini-factories that can produce larger quantities of a desired product more…

… improves crystal quality and reduces environmental impact. Gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors can now be grown without ammonia, a toxic chemical that needs a sophisticated detoxifying system before it can be released into the atmosphere. The new technique is not only more environmentally friendly but also allows for the efficient and high-quality growth of crystals at a lower cost. Scientists can make semiconductors more efficiently with a reduced need for raw materials and power. Researchers from Nagoya University in Japan…

… made possible with a novel way to assess wire bonding materials. To understand the quality of a wire bond with a semiconductor chip, they are subjected to shear tests at the contact point where the wire meets the chip: A chisel shears off these so-called wedges, and the necessary force and resulting damage is analyzed. To learn more about what happens during shearing, researchers from the Technical University of Berlin and Fraunhofer IZM came up with an innovative simulation…

Inspired by the paper-folding art of origami, North Carolina State University engineers have discovered a way to make a single plastic cubed structure transform into more than 1,000 configurations using only three active motors. The findings could pave the way for shape-shifting artificial systems that can take on multiple functions and even carry a load – like versatile robotic structures used in space, for example. “The question we’re asking is how to achieve a number of versatile shapes with the…

Scientists demonstrated that a materials characterization technique can be successful at a new type of facility, and they used it to discover a hidden materials phase. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have created the first-ever atomic movies showing how atoms rearrange locally within a quantum material as it transitions from an insulator to a metal. With the help of these movies, the researchers discovered a new material phase that settles a yearslong scientific debate…

Strategically planting perennial grass throughout corn and soybean fields helps address the unintended environmental consequences of growing the dominant row crops, including soil erosion, fertilizer runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. But converting portions of farmland back to prairie has to make financial sense for farmers, which is why a research team led by Iowa State University landscape ecologist Lisa Schulte Moore has spent the past six years studying how to efficiently turn harvested grass into lucrative renewable natural gas. “We’re…

Improving the resilience of energy systems in the Global South. What criteria should we use to better plan for resilient energy systems? How do socio-economic, technical and climate change related challenges affect sustainable energy systems planning worldwide? What does the situation look like in a region outside the European industrialized perspective? With these questions in mind, four years ago, the research project Energy Modeling for the Real World Transforming Modeling Approaches for Sustainable and Resilient Energy Planning (MEASURES) embarked on…

Distinctive processes could provide hints on how to use next-generation materials. A rose by any other name is a rose, but what of a crystal? Osaka Metropolitan University-led researchers have found that single crystals of four anthracene derivatives with different substituents react differently when irradiated with light, perhaps holding clues to how we can use such materials in functional ways. Graduate student Sogo Kataoka, Dr. Daichi Kitagawa, a lecturer, and Professor Seiya Kobatake of the Graduate School of Engineering and…

The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen, Germany, has developed a process that reduces CO2 emissions in glass and optics production by up to 90 percent. The focus is on conducting a life cycle assessment (LCA), which systematically records the energy requirements and CO2 emissions of the manufacturing processes. This data is used to develop and implement optimization potential. Fraunhofer IPT is the only research institute in Europe to offer comprehensive analyses and research on the subject of…

… pointing the way to future wireless communication channels. It is a scene many of us are familiar with: You’re working on your laptop at the local coffee shop with maybe a half dozen other laptop users—each of you is trying to load websites or stream high-definition videos, and all are craving more bandwidth. Now imagine that each of you had a dedicated wireless channel for communication that was hundreds of times faster than the Wi-Fi we use today, with…

PNNL research team to support technology analysis of hydrogen’s role in the Pacific Northwest energy landscape. The Pacific Northwest is set to begin work building out a clean hydrogen economy with today’s announcement of a Phase 1 funding award from the Department of Energy. The $27.5 million award to the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2), a multi-state nonprofit organization, will be matched by industry partners up to $125 million in Phase 1 of the project. DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory…

Next-generation soft robotics and wearable technologies could sport foam-based fluidic circuits. When picturing next-generation wearables and robotics, the foam filling in your couch cushions is likely not the first thing that comes to mind. However, Rice University engineers have shown that something as simple as the flow of air through the airy, meshlike structure of open-cell foam can be used to perform digital computation, analog sensing and combined digital-analog control in soft textile-based wearable systems. “In this work, we integrated…

Device developed by Utah engineers with Army funding harvests water from atmosphere, even in arid places. Earth’s atmosphere holds an ocean of water, enough liquid to fill Utah’s Great Salt Lake 800 times. Extracting some of that moisture is seen as a potential way to provide clean drinking water to billions of people globally who face chronic shortages. Existing technologies for atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) are saddled with numerous downsides associated with size, cost and efficiency. But new research from…

LZH develops multi-laser beam welding process for maritime manufacturing. Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) is researching ways to make welding thick plates in shipbuilding more reliable. The scientists are developing a multi-laser beam welding process with customized beam shaping and a “Digital Twin”-based integrated quality assurance system. In the DIGIMAR project, researchers are combining three laser beam sources to create a root and a filler layer welding process with customized beam shaping. Photo: LZH Welding in the thick sheet metal…