CSU chemists are proposing to make solar cells using not silicon, but an abundantly available natural material called molybdenum disulfide. Solar power technologies, which use solar cells to convert sunlight to electricity or storable fuels, are gaining momentum in a world looking beyond fossil fuels for its energy needs. The dark bluish solar panels that dot rooftops and open fields today are typically made from silicon, a well-tested semiconductor material. Silicon photovoltaic technology has its limitations, though, losing up to…

Fraunhofer IFAM and Sunfire launch project to scale AEM technology for industry applications. Research and industry have recognized the potential of alkaline AEM electrolysis and expect a fast technology development during the next decade. Fraunhofer IFAM and sunfire, together with Canadian materials partner Ionomr Innovations, are now launching the “Integrate” research project to apply the promising technology on an industrial scale. To produce cost-effective green hydrogen, industry and energy companies need efficient electrolyzers on a large scale. Technologies such as…

A key ingredient in the manufacture of car tires and sneaker soles could be made sustainably, following new analysis of an old catalytic process. Butadiene, an essential component of synthetic rubber, is currently produced by the petrochemical industry from fossil reserves. But it could be efficiently made in a one-step reaction from renewable ethanol using a modernized version of an unusual old catalyst. “Butadiene is currently produced as a byproduct of the petrochemical industry, which can lead to shortages in…

Findings show similarities to and differences from cuprate superconductors, including more complex electronic structure. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered new details about the electrons in a nickel-based family of superconducting materials. The research, described in two papers published in Physical Review X, reveals that these nickel-based materials have certain similarities with—and key differences from—copper-based superconductors. Comparing the two kinds of “high-temperature” superconductors may help scientists zero in on key features essential for these…

Spacecraft-inspired system enhances quadruped agility and balance. Researchers in Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute (RI) have designed a system that makes an off-the-shelf quadruped robot nimble enough to walk a narrow balance beam — a feat that is likely the first of its kind. “This experiment was huge,” said Zachary Manchester, an assistant professor in the RI and head of the Robotic Exploration Lab. “I don’t think anyone has ever successfully done balance beam walking with a robot before.” By leveraging hardware often used to control…

Researchers develop stretchable OLED display. Imagine a thin, digital display so flexible that you can wrap it around your wrist, fold it in any direction, or curve it over your car’s steering wheel. Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago have designed just such a material, which can bend in half or stretch to more than twice its original length while still emitting a fluorescent pattern. The material, described in Nature Materials, has a wide…

… everybody needs some body. The typical image of a robot is one composed of motors and circuits, encased in metal. Yet the field of molecular robotics, which is being spearheaded in Japan, is beginning to change that. Much like how complex living organisms are formed, molecular robots derive form and functionality from assembled molecules. Such robots could have important applications, such as being used to treat and diagnose diseases in vivo. The first challenge in building a molecular robot…

The discovery of new quantum materials with magnetic properties are believed to pave the way for ultra-fast and considerably more energy efficient computers and mobile devices. So far, these types of materials have been shown to work only in extremely cold temperatures. Now, a research team at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden are the first to make a device made of a two-dimensional magnetic quantum material work in room temperature. Today’s rapid IT expansion generates enormous amounts of digital…

Batteries are indispensable for global efforts to reduce fossil fuel use. However, challenges remain: their production requires a lot of energy, the materials used are rare, and batteries are difficult to recycle. Several research groups at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) are therefore working on new, more environmentally friendly, and more efficient batteries. From cell phones to laptops to electric vehicles and beyond, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are essential in the daily lives of many. Still, what seems…

Lightweight and switchable glass technologies can improve the energy management of buildings with large-area windows and glass facades and contribute significantly to reducing energy consumption for heating or cooling. Improving the availability and cost efficiency of such glasses and the corresponding manufacturing processes is the goal of the EU-funded Switch2Save joint project. The project partners have installed the first electrochromic insulating glass units to test the potential energy savings in a Swedish office building. These solutions for windows and building…

Augmented Reality for Tomorrow’s Ship Management. The precisely transmitted image of the quay wall on the ship’s window of the steering bridge, provided with some additional information, for example on current conditions and mooring possibilities – even in fog, darkness and poor visibility – this is what the ship navigation of tomorrow could look like. With the joint project “Smart Window”, Fraunhofer ISIT has worked together with partners from industry and the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research (IGD) on…

Altosens GmbH launches Fraunhofer technology on the market. Whether in the industrial environment, in mobility or at home: “Smart services” require data that is processed and evaluated. Altosens GmbH, a Fraunhofer LBF spin-off, offers novel cloud-based force sensors that measure forces where this was previously not easily possible. This allows unexpected service operations to be reduced and therefore systems that are difficult to access to be operated more economically. Such a monitoring system can, for example, increase the profitability of…

Rapid Part Evaluation develops measurement technology for fast and automated parameter determination. The founding team of Rapid Part Evaluation, based at the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, focuses on the service life of frequently used machine elements such as seals, gears or bearings. Using the specially developed measuring device and software, companies will be able to fast and automatically evaluate application-related parameters when testing components as early as the design phase. The project is currently being funded by an EXIST start-up grant from…

Seawater’s mix of hydrogen, oxygen, sodium, and other elements makes it vital to life on Earth. But that same complex chemistry has made it difficult to extract hydrogen gas for clean energy uses. Now, researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University with collaborators at the University of Oregon and Manchester Metropolitan University have found a way to tease hydrogen out of the ocean by funneling seawater through a double-membrane system and electricity. Their innovative…

»BioFusion 4.0« transfers principles from nature into industrial manufacturing to achieve sustainable and circular value creation. At this year‘s Hannover Messe from April 17 to 21, 2023, Fraunhofer IPK demonstrates how biogenic materials and digital solutions can be used to design resilient production processes and sustainable products. Biological transformation is the transfer of principles of natural systems to technical materials, structures and processes. Within the research project »BioFusion 4.0«, Fraunhofer IPK, the Technische Universität Berlin, Mercedes-Benz AG and the Werner-von-Siemens…

Sustainable and cost-efficient retrofitting and planning. Rising energy prices pose a great challenge to private individuals and companies. At the University Kaiserslautern-Landau, a team from the fields of building systems and building technology as well as real estate studies creates energy concepts for buildings that are newly planned or retrofitted for clients from industry and business. In doing so, it always takes into account the economic efficiency, makes a risk assessment and includes new technologies in order to be as…