… at JEC World 2022 in Paris. The ITA Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University will present a collaborative robot (cobot) including tools for semi-automated draping of reinforcement textiles at JEC World 2022 in Paris. The cobot is used without additional safety measures such as protective fences or light barriers thanks to integrated sensor technology. It can thus collaborate directly with human. Another ITA exhibit is a demonstrator for mobile hydrogen storage in the form of a Type-4 pressure…

The quality of composite systems made of cords of high-strength fibers such as polyester, aramid or polyamide and matrix materials of rubber is largely determined by the adhesion properties of the fibers to the matrix. In the established manufacturing process, adhesion promoters made of resorcinol-formaldehyde-latex (RFL) are used to improve the adhesion properties. Researchers at DITF are showing ways to replace the harmful formaldehyde with technically equivalent substances that are harmless to health. In car tires, conveyor belts and V-belts,…

Diesel generators often provide the local power supply in developing and emerging economies – emitting millions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. To minimize these emissions in the future, a research team from Fraunhofer IPA, together with CBC GmbH & Co. KG and the University of Bayreuth, is currently developing an electricity generator that runs on hydrogen. In Germany, it is taken for granted that every household is connected to the power grid and power outages are a…

Results from the European HITCOMP project. The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) coordinates the HITCOMP (High Temperature Characterisation and Modelling of Thermoplastic Composites) project within the Horizon 2020 programme, which aims to study the possible advantages of thermoplastic materials in the aerospace industry. The European aerospace sector typically uses low-weight, high-performance thermosetting plastic composites—also known as epoxy resin based composites—in many applications. However, these materials are not as heat resistant as other metal aircraft components, which can compromise safety…

The development of resource-efficient manufacturing processes for next-generation battery anodes was the aim of the joint project „nextBatt“ funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, funding reference: L1FHG42421). At the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP, new material combinations and efficient production technologies have been realized for this purpose. The Institute will present recent results at SVC TechCon 2022, May 3 – 5 2022, in Long Beach/USA, at booth No. 436. The demand…

It is known that Albert Einstein constructed equations of general relativity by adopting Riemann geometry. In addition to the key role it played in mathematics and physics, Riemann geometry has provided predictions for the properties of curved carbon materials. However, synthesis of such complicated carbon materials with Riemann surfaces has remained to be a great challenge. In a study published in Nature Communications, a research team led by Prof. DU Pingwu from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of…

A new study by Chinese researchers demonstrates a novel approach to enhancing the storage performance of batteries and capacitors. The researchers developed a simple yet efficient way to produce a material with excellent performance for use in devices that rely on lithium-ion storage. They published their findings in Nano Research on April 1. Why lithium? Energy storage technologies are increasingly important as the world shifts toward carbon neutrality, looking to further electrify the automotive and renewable energy sectors. Lithium-ion technology is critical…

As the Major League Baseball season gets underway, a burning question for many fans of the third most popular sport in the United States is how many homeruns they will see this season. A new laboratory method uses a high-accuracy ball delivery device and speed measurement system to provide better clues on exactly how high and far some of those baseballs will fly. Reporting in the journal, Applied Sciences, Washington State University and Delft University of Technology researchers describe the new technique, which…

New scaling law governing extreme nonlinear optical phenomena in solids discovered. Materials scientists may soon be able to control material properties with light. A team consisting of researchers at Kyoto University and Kurume Institute of Technology have discovered a scaling law that determines high-order harmonic generation in the solid-layered perovskite material, Ca2RuO4. High-order harmonic generation is a nonlinear optical phenomenon where extreme ultraviolet photons are emitted by a material as a result of interactions with high intensity light. “The phenomenon, which was first observed in atomic…

Scientists in Japan have found a common substance that can reversibly and rapidly store and release relatively large amounts of low-grade heat without decomposing. The research could lead to more efficient reuse of industrial waste heat. The results were published in the journal Nature Communications and were a collaboration between scientists at Tohoku University’s Institute for Materials Research and Rigaku Corporation, a company that designs and manufactures X-ray-based measurement and thermal analysis tools. In their investigations, the researchers used a…

New technologies for use in next-generation photovoltaic inverters are in development and undergoing practical testing as part of the GaN-HighPower project. Photovoltaics (PV) is becoming increasingly relevant as a sustainable and affordable supply of energy in the wake of the global energy transition. In addition to the ongoing need for cost reductions, there is also a growing requirement for the increased functionality of devices against this backdrop. By way of example, technological solutions are required for this, which — alongside…

Droplet manipulation has important applications in areas such as heat management, water harvesting, and chemical reactions. A research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) developed a multi-functional electrostatic droplet tweezer that can precisely “trap” liquid droplets and remotely guide their motion on flat and tilted surfaces, and in oil mediums. Experiments showed that the tweezer can manipulate droplets of different volumes and with different components. It has potential applications in areas such as high-throughput biological and chemical analysis. The…

DITF laboratory researches the use of lime bast and flax. The beginnings of textile manufacturing date back more than 30,000 years. Not only clothing, but also technical textiles were made from sometimes surprising materials. More than 2,500 textile fragments from pile dwelling settlements at Lake Constance and Upper Swabia were the basis for a large research project investigating prehistoric textile crafts. The German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) were responsible for material testing using modern analytical methods….

A team co-led team by the University of Surrey has successfully increased the levels of energy absorbed by wafer-thin photovoltaic panels by 25%. Their solar panels, just one micrometre thick (1μm), convert light into electricity more efficiently than others as thin and pave the way to make it easier to general more clean, green energy. In a paper published in the American Chemical Society’s Photonics journal, the team detail how they used characteristics of sunlight to design a disordered honeycomb…

A bandage that releases medication as soon as an infection starts in a wound could treat injuries more efficiently. Empa researchers are currently working on polymer fibers that soften as soon as the environment heats up due to an infection, thereby releasing antimicrobial drugs. It is not possible to tell from the outside whether a wound will heal without problems under the dressing or whether bacteria will penetrate the injured tissue and ignite an inflammation. To be on the safe…

… for long-duration energy storage. Flow batteries are promising for energy storage due to their high safety, high reliability, long cycle life, and high efficiency. The development of commercial-scale flow batteries for long-duration energy storage requires to reduce the cost of flow batteries, especially the cost of ion-exchange membranes. Recently, a research group led by Prof. LI Xianfeng from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) realized pilot-scale synthesis and roll-to-roll manufacturing of hydrocarbon membranes with…