A particularly warm winter is coming to an end – in summer the next heat wave is looming. Is it possible to create cool zones in cities to tackle the more pronounced heat island effects due to climate change? Empa...

With hybrid cars and plug-in hybrids, cold starts occur more frequently when the internal combustion engine stops and the electric motor pushes the car through town. How quickly can the catalytic converter be preheated...

CO2 concentrations in the air continue to rise rapidly, and a rapid reduction in man-made emissions is becoming increasingly important. In order to assess the effectiveness of political measures, timely and reliable...

As of March 2020, the new "Concrete and Asphalt" lab will strengthen Empa's research in the field of building materials. Innovative technologies and materials for sustainable production and use are particularly in demand...

If the heart muscle is damaged, repairing the constantly active organ is a challenge. Empa researchers are developing a novel tissue adhesive inspired by nature, which is able to repair lesions in muscle tissue. They...

To provide laundry with fragrances without the effect disappearing after the first laundering is quite a challenge. Empa researchers have now developed fibers that release the scent of roses or cloves – permanently....

On Monday, February 10, 2020, the European battery research project SeNSE was officially launched. Over the next four years, five research institutes and six industrial companies from seven European countries will work...

The semiconductor perovskite is seen as a new hope to bring the production price of solar cells down below that of silicon used so far. Empa is developing new manufacturing processes to make perovskite solar cells not...

A team of researchers from Switzerland, the US and Poland have found evidence of a uniquely high density of hydrogen atoms in a metal hydride. The smaller spacings between the atoms might enable packing significantly...

Can buildings learn to save all by themselves? Empa researchers think so. In their experiments, they fed a new self-learning heat­ing control system with temperature data from the previous year and the current weather...

At the World Economic Forum (WEF) the six institutions of the ETH Domain presented successful young companies whose business activities are based on research. The most prominent guest at the event that was hosted by the...

Preeclampsia is a particularly dreaded pregnancy complication that threatens the lives of mother and child. A correct diagnosis, however, is currently time-consuming and, in many cases, inaccurate. The Empa spin-off...

Heating, hot water and private electricity consumption consume large amounts of energy and cause high CO2 emissions. Energy-efficient renovations of buildings can reduce this consumption – but how is the money best used...

Mirko Kovac is heading the new Materials and Technology Center of Robotics of Empa and Imperial College London. Together with his team, he develops drones and flying robots, which are supposed to help autonomously with...

Don't ever let a violin go without varnish, researchers advise, on the basis of a new study published in the journal "Scientific Reports". The scientists used neutron imaging to investigate what effects different...

Researchers at the joint EPFL-Empa lab in Sion have developed a reactor system and an analysis method that has allowed them to observe the real-time production of synthetic natural gas from CO2 and H2 for the first time.

Nanomedicine is making headways. However, the tiny nanoparticles that are being used as carriers for drugs could find their way into water, soil and air. Empa researchers are investigating potential risks.

Streaming consumes enormous amounts of energy and is at least as damaging to the climate as all civil aviation – according to a French study. It is generally underestimated what electronic devices – apart from...