As the materials research institute in the ETH-domain, Empa is most certainly active in nanotechnology and is generating new knowledge, new materials and new applications and is transferring this knowhow to potential users.

• Construction of a complex ultra-high vacuum force microscope;
• Ceramic nanoparticles, upscaling of their production processes and their application in electrically-conductive high-temperature ceramics, in solid oxid fuel cells or in dental materials;
• Functionalization of thin coatings (also on fibers with a fiber spinning machine) through the incorporation of specific nanoparticles;
• Controlled growth of carbon nanotubes and their application as electron sources;
• The self-organizing nature of molecules;
• Self-assembling nanostructures which can be used for switches or for futuristic applications, for instance in information technology or sensor technology such as nanoswitches;
• Modern instrumentation for synthesis and analysis on the nanometer level, for example FIB (Focused Ion Beam) technology;
• Cellular experimentation to determine compatibility with nanoscale particles
• Vacuum insulated products, which are given a wafer-thin evaporated coating of aluminium

As part of the technological leap forwards to ultra-small dimensions, the ETH domain has developed a specific «nanotechnology innovation and cooperation programme» for EMPA. This is our follow-up to successful projects in the Swiss Priority Programme, Materials (SPPM), National Research Programme (NRP) 36 etc., which focused on hard coatings, finely structured composite materials and microfibres. The new Swiss research programme «TOP NANO 21» includes three specific EMPA clusters: «Nanocomposite Coatings», «Nanoparticle Ceramics» and «Organic Nanosystems», in which we are collaborating with renowned industrial partners and research organisations. Our projects range right from micro-/nanofilters and nanotubes/nanopowders to functional surfaces/components, where nanotechnological reliability factors play a major part.

Your contact

Prof. Dr. Hans J. Hug, Phone +41 1 823 41 25, E-mail: hans-josef.hug@empa.ch