In the FOXIP project, researchers form Empa, EPFL and the Paul Scherrer Institute developed a new printing ink and a transistor with "memory effect" – thanks to serendipity. more
Relevant for all of us
A successful implementation of Switzerland's Energy Strategy 2050, personalized medicine for our society and a competence center for quantum technologies – Tanja Zimmermann has set herself ambitious goals. The new director explains why her heart beats for Empa. more
The body is the house of the soul, as the philosopher Philon of Alexandria put it. In this house, the cochlea, the "snail", is our pet. Researchers at Empa's Center for X-ray Analytics, examined the cochleae using microcomputed tomography. more
Mysterious crystals
Crystals consisting of wildly mixed ingredients – so-called high-entropy materials – are currently attracting growing scientific interest. An Empa team is producing and researching these mysterious ceramic materials, which have only been known since 2015. more
Copper exposure in the environment and the protein alpha-synuclein in the brain could play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. New findings could help develop strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. more
Making it light
Wim Malfait is a trained geologist who once searched for gold on behalf of a mining company. Today, he heads Empa's Building Energy Materials and Components lab, which develops super-lightweight aerogel insulation materials.
Lithium-ion batteries without flammable liquids – so-called solid-state-batteries – are considered the next big thing in battery technology. Empa is pursuing various approaches. more
Following the sun
An Empa study now calculates the influence of energy storage systems on the maximum possible transition speed – and thus also on the probability of successfully mastering the climate crisis. more