…for High-Speed Light Modulation. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS, in collaboration with HOLOEYE Photonics AG, have developed a compact LCOS microdisplay with high refresh rates that enables improved optical modulation. This innovative microdisplay will be presented for the first time at the 31st International Display Workshops (IDW) 2024 in Sapporo, Japan. LCOS microdisplays are characterized by their low power consumption, small size, and lightweight design. They are used in switchable adaptive optics, particularly as phase modulators,…

Using energy- and resource-saving methods, a research team at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at TU Graz aims to produce high-quality doped silicon layers for the electronics and solar industries. The global production of semiconductors is growing rapidly and with it the demand for primary products, especially crystalline silicon. However, its production is very energy-intensive and only half of the raw silicon used is actually utilised. This leads to large quantities of waste. In the Christian Doppler Laboratory for New…

MIT engineers look to manta rays… New research shows the filter-feeders strike a natural balance between permeability and selectivity that could inform design of water treatment systems. Filter feeders are everywhere in the animal world, from tiny crustaceans and certain types of coral and krill, to various molluscs, barnacles, and even massive basking sharks and baleen whales. Now, MIT engineers have found that one filter feeder has evolved to sift food in ways that could improve the design of industrial…

… mitigates three defects simultaneously for failure-free metal parts. University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have found a way to simultaneously mitigate three types of defects in parts produced using a prominent additive manufacturing technique called laser powder bed fusion. Led by Lianyi Chen, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at UW–Madison, the team discovered the mechanisms and identified the processing conditions that can lead to this significant reduction in defects. The researchers detailed their findings in a paper published on November…

Digital sensing-based monitoring system. Establishing a foundation for local technology commercialization in Vietnam. Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim Byung-Suk) developed a smart monitoring system that applies digital sensing technology to maintain and manage small- and medium-sized aging bridges. This study was conducted as an international matching joint research funded by KICT, and established a foundation for technology diffusion to ASEAN countries through joint research with University of Transport and Communications (UTC) in Vietnam. In general,…

Rice engineers take unconventional route to improving thermophotovoltaic systems. Researchers at Rice University have found a new way to improve a key element of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems, which convert heat into electricity via light. Using an unconventional approach inspired by quantum physics, Rice engineer Gururaj Naik and his team designed a thermal emitter that can deliver high efficiencies within practical design parameters. The research could inform the development of thermal-energy electrical storage, which holds promise as an affordable, grid-scale alternative to…

A large number of 2D materials like graphene can have nanopores – small holes formed by missing atoms through which foreign substances can pass. The properties of these nanopores dictate many of the materials’ properties, enabling the latter to sense gases, filter out seawater, and even help in DNA sequencing. “The problem is that these 2D materials have a wide distribution of nanopores, both in terms of shape and size,” says Ananth Govind Rajan, Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemical…

A team from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has introduced a new method for megapixel-scale fluorescence microscopy through complex scattering media. This approach resolves high-resolution images from several tens of widefield fluorescence-microscope frames without requiring specialized equipment such as spatial-light modulators or intensive computational processing. By efficiently correcting distortions caused by light scattering, the technique allows for clear imaging of dense and challenging targets. Its compatibility with conventional microscopy setups, coupled with the use of established matrix-based techniques, makes it…

Have you ever wondered why an airplane has a vertical tailfin? The plane needs it to stabilize its flight. Since flying without a vertical tail is much more energy-efficient, the aviation industry has worked hard to accomplish this – so far without much success. However, birds don’t need a vertical fin, which raises the question: how do they do it?  David Lentink, Professor of Biomimetics at the University of Groningen, has developed a robotic bird model with real pigeon feathers…

An international team led by the University of Surrey with Imperial College London have identified a strategy to improve both the performance and stability for solar cells made out of the ‘miracle material’ perovskite by mitigating a previously hidden degradation pathway. In a new study published in Energy and Environmental Science, Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) details how they, together with their collaborators, were able to produce lead-tin perovskite solar cells that reach more than 23% power conversion efficiency (PCE)…

‘MiniMax’ aerosol separator impresses with outstanding performance and efficiency. In view of increasing legal and industrial requirements, the development of efficient exhaust gas purification technologies is very important. The need for innovative solutions for the separation of very fine particles is increasing, particularly in technical processes. A research team from the Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering at the University of Stuttgart has now developed a new filter technology: the ‘MiniMax’ aerosol separator. The Technology Licence Bureau (TLB) is supporting the…

KIT researchers produce metamaterial with different extension and compression properties than conventional materials. With this material, the working group headed by Professor Martin Wegener at KIT’s Institute of Applied Physics (APH) has overcome a limitation of metamaterials. Lead author Dr. Yi Chen compares this with human communication and an effect known from the “telephone game”: When people communicate through a chain of intermediaries, the message received by the last person can be completely different than if the first and last…

Most people think of coffee cups, bathroom tiles or flower pots when they hear the word “ceramic”. Not so Frank Clemens. For the research group leader in Empa’s Laboratory for High-Performance Ceramics, ceramics can conduct electricity, be intelligent, and even feel. Together with his team, Clemens is developing soft sensor materials based on ceramics. Such sensors can “feel” temperature, strain, pressure or humidity, for instance, which makes them interesting for use in medicine, but also in the field of soft…

SRI and University of Houston receive $3.6M to develop a microreactor to convert carbon dioxide to methanol using renewable energy. Key Takeaways: Innovative Technology Focus: The PRIME-Fuel project is developing modular microreactor technology to convert carbon dioxide into methanol, representing a novel approach to renewable fuel production. Sustainable Fuel Potential: The technology could enable cost-effective methanol production, which offers a pathway to significantly reduce emissions and promote sustainable fuel alternatives. Collaborative Research Effort: This partnership between UH and SRI showcases…

Achieving Individual Functional Integration. Wire or Fiber Encapsulating Additive Manufacturing (WEAM/FEAM) could significantly simplify the industrial production of components that require the integration of complex yet compact wiring, sensors, actuators, or lighting systems – by directly printing these components into the parts. A new development at Fraunhofer IWU: the Automated Cable Assembly (AuCA). Conventional robotics fails to produce and automatically lay flexible cable bundles in vehicles; AuCA, however, manufactures the wiring using a robot-guided way on a component and fixes…

New ISTA assistant professor Julian Léonard makes abstract quantum properties visible. From the realm of the abstract to the tangible, the new assistant professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) Julian Léonard brings the quantum properties of matter to life. Having done research at ETH Zurich and Harvard, Léonard joins ISTA from TU Wien. In this interview, he talks about the central role of quantum mechanics in nature, how ultracold temperatures magnify atomic interactions, and what this…