News 2015

Dec 22, 2015 | Polymers render concrete fire-resistant
Self-compacting high-performance concrete (SCHPC) has till now suffered from one weakness – when exposed to fire it flakes and splits, which reduces its loadbearing capacity. Empa scientists have now developed a method...
Dec 21, 2015 | Making the invisible visible
The Empa Center for X-ray Analytics is now up-and-running, and its state-of-the-art X-ray machines have been installed. These provide not just fascinating images but in particular deep insights into materials, components...
Dec 15, 2015 | SME Update – an insight into digital medicine
Electronic connectivity and data exchange are becoming more and more important for the medical products of tomorrow. The SME Update at Empa has shown how doctors and researchers imagine the future of digital medicine and...
Nov 29, 2015 | Die Empa am Swiss Innovation Forum
2015 ist das «Internationale Jahr des Lichts und der lichtbasierten Technologien». Passend dazu stellt die Empa am 10. Swiss Innovation Forum (SIF) vom 19. November im Congress Center Basel drei innovative Projekte vor,...
Nov 25, 2015 | CO2-free fuel from renewable electricity
The demonstration and technology transfer platform “move” enables Empa researchers to develop new vehicle drive concepts with significantly lower CO2 emissions and test them in practice. It uses surplus electricity from...
Nov 18, 2015 | Higher efficiency thanks to perovskite magic crystal
Stacking two solar cells one over the other has advantages: Because the energy is “harvested” in two stages, and overall the sunlight can be converted to electricity more efficiently. Empa researchers have come up with a...
Nov 12, 2015 | Electrochemistry to satisfy mass demand
High-performance lithium ion batteries face a major problem: Lithium will eventually start to run out as batteries are deployed in electric cars and stationary storage units. Researchers from Empa and ETH Zurich have now...
Oct 30, 2015 | New class of materials: hybrid aerogels with biopolymers
Although they are considered to be the best insulators of all, silicate-based aerogels have the disadvantages of being brittle and tending to produce dust. With the development of a hybrid aerogel using biopolymers,...
Oct 30, 2015 | Concrete degradation
When bridges, dam walls and other structures made of concrete are streaked with dark cracks after a few decades, the culprit is AAR: the alkali-aggregate reaction. Also called the “concrete disease” or even “concrete...
Oct 19, 2015 | EmpaNews 50 published
The production of tiny particles and their industrial use is deemed a key technology of the 21st century. Nanoparticles revolutionize many applications – from industrial products such as sunscreens or waterproofing...
Sep 29, 2015 | Empa researchers optimize diesel cat
The scandal surrounding VW has thrust nitric oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel vehicles into the limelight. Owing to the different engine technologies, these have always been higher than in gasoline-powered cars. On the...
Sep 24, 2015 | New member in Empa's senior management
On application of Empa CEO Gian-Luca Bona the ETH Board appointed Alex Dommann as new member of the Board of Directors as of October 1, 2015.
Sep 23, 2015 | Using body heat to keep a shelter warm
In collaboration with the start-up "Polarmond", scientists at Empa developed an «all-in-one» shelter system. Inside the shelter conditions remain comfortable whatever the weather outdoors, thanks to a sophisticated...
11.09.2015 | NEST: Der Rohbau steht
Rund ein Jahr nach dem Spatenstich ist der Rohbau des modularen Forschungs- und Innovationsgebäudes NEST fertig. Am 11. September 2015 feierte die Trägerschaft aus Forschung, Wirtschaft und öffentlicher Hand mit...
25.08.2015 | Weltpremiere: Windturbinensimulation an Thurgauer Herbstmesse
Die Empa hat zusammen mit der ETH Zürich eine Simulation entwickelt, die eine optische und akustische Einschätzung von Windturbinen möglich macht – noch bevor sie gebaut sind. An der Thurgauer Herbstmesse WEGA in...
Aug 18, 2015 | Focus Atmosphere
Inhalation anesthetics, so-called fluranes, are widely used during surgery. Just how much of these strong greenhouse gases is produced worldwide remains a mystery; industry is keeping its cards close to its chest.
Aug 5, 2015 | Detailed life cycle assessments for industrial products of the future
Crackpot idea or recipe for success? This is a question entrepreneurs often face. Is it worth converting the production process to a new, ecologically better material? Empa has developed an analysis method that enables...
Jul 29, 2015 | Useful things from gelatine
ETH and Empa researchers have developed a yarn from ordinary gelatine that has good qualities similar to those of merino wool fibres. Now they are working on making the yarn even more water-resistant.
Jul 22, 2015 | THRIVE sets its sights on waste heat
As part of the National Research Program “Energy Turnaround” NRP 70 the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is supporting the interdisciplinary research project “THRIVE”. With IBM Research – Zurich and the...
16.07.2015 | Empa Sommercamp 2015
Normalerweise ist die Empa Arbeitsplatz für die «Grossen». Doch in der Woche vom 13.–17. Juli 2015 war die Empa auch etwas für die «Kleinen». Am Standort Dübendorf fand nämlich das alljährliche Sommercamp für Kinder...
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