News 2019

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Dec 19, 2019 | Reproducing historical trombones
To play a piece of music as it was conceived by the composer is a trend. But where can the rare historical instruments be found? The solution would be exact copies of the coveted originals. A team of Empa researchers is...
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Dec 13, 2019 | ETH Zurich appoints Empa researcher professor
Empa researcher Dominik Brunner was appointed titular professor by ETH Zurich. He teaches environmental system sciences in the ETH Department and heads a research group at Empa that uses modelling to analyse the...
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Dec 10, 2019 | Elusive molecule predicted in the 1970s synthesized
Graphene, a two-dimensional structure made of carbon, is a material with excellent mechanical, electronic and optical properties. However, it did not seem suitable for magnetic applications. Together with international...
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Dec 5, 2019 | Greenhouse gas emissions from soil
Thanks to a newly developed laser spectrometer, Empa researchers can for the first time show which processes in grassland lead to nitrous oxide emissions. The aim is to reduce emissions of this potent greenhouse gas by...
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Dec 3, 2019 | Auxetic membranes
A material that thickens when you pull on it seems to contradict the laws of physics. However, the so-called auxetic effect, which also occurs in nature, is interesting for a number of applications. A new Empa study...
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Nov 28, 2019 | Planned obsolescence
Whether mobile phone or automatic toilets – electronic devices are becoming increasingly complex. And who hasn't heard stories of devices that fail precisely after the warranty has expired? According to Empa researcher...
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Nov 26, 2019 | Espionage for wound healing
Whether a wound heals well under a dressing cannot be seen from the outside. Empa researchers are now enabling a view through the bandage à la James Bond. The refined application of terahertz radiation could promote the...
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Nov 25, 2019 | ICOS Switzerland
Greenhouse gases are the cause of climate change. The European infrastructure network ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System) is committed to standardised measurements so that emissions can be compared across Europe....
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Nov 21, 2019 | Computer model calculates heat disipation beneath clothing
Whether for sports, at work or in the living room – depending on activity and environment, our clothing has to meet different demands. Empa scientists have developed a model that predicts how well a given garment will...
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Nov 20, 2019 | Two Empa scientists among the "Highly Cited Researchers"
Empa researchers Bernd Nowack and Maksym Kovalenko are among the most cited in the world. According to this year's list of "Highly Cited Researchers", the publications of the two Empa researchers in their respective...
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Nov 19, 2019 | Wood technology
Empa scientist Mark Schubert and his team would like to use the many opportunities offered by machine learning for wood technology applications. Together with Swiss Wood Solutions, Schubert will present his latest...
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Nov 14, 2019 | Empa researchers calculate load with micro-rubber
The tread on the tyre is worn out, new tyres are needed. Everyday life for many drivers. But where do these lost centimetres of tyre tread "disappear" to? As micro-rubbers, they mainly end up in soil and water and, to a...
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Nov 13, 2019 | The bronze hand of Prêles/Bern
In autumn 2017, the archaeological service of the Canton of Berne was amazed when two private individuals delivered a crusted lump of metal. The bronze hand of Prêles, decorated with a ribbon of gold, turned out to be...
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Nov 11, 2019 | Destabilization renders wood more stable
It can be deformed as required and is three times stronger than natural wood: the wood material developed by Marion Frey, Tobias Keplinger and Ingo Burgert at Empa and ETH Zurich has the potential to become a high-tech...
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Nov 5, 2019 | Magnesium orthopaedic screws
Where bones fracture, surgeons often have to join the fragments with implants. Magnesium orthopaedic screws, which over time dissolve in the body, spare patients another operation after healing is completed and reduce...
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Oct 31, 2019 | New head of lab Acoustics / Noise Control
A rippling stream is Jean-Marc Wunderli's favourite sound. However, his everyday research has little to do with calming natural sounds. He deals with completely different ones: noise from aircraft turbines, train noise,...
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Oct 28, 2019 | Guideline for approval procedures
Hydrogen is considered a promising solution for mobility without fossil fuels. What is still missing, however, is a nation-wide network of fueling stations. One reason for this: The approval procedure for the planning...
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Oct 25, 2019 | NMJ Association takes on special challenges
Empa recently founded the NMJ Association together with partner institutions from Japan, Canada, China, the USA and Germany. The association is dedicated to the development of novel joining technologies for the...
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Oct 24, 2019 | Empa: Partner of the "sitem-insel" Competence Center
The first national competence center for translational medicine and entrepreneurship has opened in Bern. As a hub for research and innovation, "sitem-insel" is home to several start-ups, companies and scientists. These...
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Oct 22, 2019 | Corrosion processes at the molecular level
"Corrosion" comes from Latin "corrodere": to gnaw something to pieces. This refers to the gradual destruction of a sub- stance due to the influence of other substances in the environment. Specialists at Empa take a close...
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Oct 17, 2019 | International networking
The NEST research and innovation building of Empa and Eawag is a new member of the European Network of Living Labs. During the OpenLivingLab Days in Thessaloniki in September, NEST and 19 other projects were officially...
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Oct 17, 2019 | Funding for the start-up phase approved
At the end of September, the "AM-TTC Alliance", the umbrella organization for the establishment of technology transfer centers in the field of advanced manufacturing technologies - the "Advanced Manufacturing Technology...
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Oct 16, 2019 | Solid state batteries
On October 16, Empa young researcher Léo Duchêne received the prestigious Battery Division Student Research Award of the Electrochemical Society in Atlanta, USA. Since 1979, this research prize has been awarded to...
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Oct 14, 2019 | Phononic crystals
A team of Empa acoustic researchers has built macroscopic crystal structures that use internal rotation to attenuate the propagation of waves. The method makes it possible to build very light and stiff materials that can...
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Oct 10, 2019 | Hormone-producing fungi
Early childhood life in the womb is particularly sensitive to the effects of environmental pollutants. A team from Empa and the University of Vienna has now for the first time been able to show how a pollutant from...
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Oct 8, 2019 | Flexible, biocompatible nanocellulose sensors
Physiological parameters can be determined directly on the skin. Empa researchers are currently working with a Canadian team to develop flexible, biocompatible nanocellulose sensors that can be attached to the skin. The...
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Oct 7, 2019 | Glass withstands impact
Can glass flow at room temperature and thus withstand hard impacts? A theory from the 1970s predicted exactly this. Empa re- searchers have now provided the proof. The results could form the basis for robust 3D printed...
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Oct 7, 2019 | Obituary
Fritz Eggimann, President and CEO of Empa from 1988 to 2001, died unexpectedly on 29 September 2019.
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Oct 1, 2019 | Empa Spin-off TwingTec takes flight
To harvest wind energy, you don't necessarily need rotors on steel masts – light kites on thin ropes can do the same. The Empa spin-off TwingTec has been researching this technology for some time now. Last autumn, it was...
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Sep 27, 2019 | Eine Berufslehre an der Empa
Die Spitzenforschung an der Empa im Bereich Materialwissenschaften und Technologien baut auf die Expertise ihrer Mitarbeitenden. Dazu gehören auch die über 40 Lernenden in zehn verschiedenen Lehrberufen. Als...
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Sep 26, 2019 | Safe-by-Design
Tiny particles that can fight cancer or that can easily pass through any interface within our body are a great promise for medicine. But there is little knowledge thus far about what exactly will happen to nanoparticles...
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Sep 24, 2019 | Asphalt with fewer emissions
Sweltering heat, hot fumes and noisy machines - asphalting roads is hard work. Empa researchers have analysed whether and how much harmful emissions are produced when regular "hot asphalt" or so-called warm asphalt is...
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Sep 18, 2019 | "SAMPE Fellow Award" to Urs Meier
On September 18, Urs Meier received a prestigious award for his achievements in the field of carbon fiber reinforced plastics in civil engineering - the "SAMPE Fellow Award". This award is presented in recognition of...
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Sep 17, 2019 | Molecular electronics
Electronics built from molecules could open up new possibilities in the miniaturization of circuits in the future. Empa researchers, together with partners from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Israel, and  the UK,...
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Sep 17, 2019 | Programmed wood
Researchers from ETH Zurich, Empa and the University of Stuttgart have developed a new technique involving a controlled drying process that makes wooden panels bend into a pre-set shape without the use of any mechanical...
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Sep 12, 2019 | Bio-inspired bot
A bio-inspired bot uses water from the environment to create a propelling gas and launch itself from the water’s surface. The robot had been developed by researchers at Imperial College London. It can travel 26 meters...
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Sep 10, 2019 | Test flights at Zurich Airport
Approach and landing are among the most complex phases of a flight. In order to enable pilots to fly as quietly as possible, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has developed a new pilot assistance system that uses a...
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Sep 5, 2019 | Decision-making made easy
A herniated disc is painful – and the most frequent cause of spinal surgery. But is the selected treatment always the right one? New research results show that the clinical criteria – the comparison of two static images...
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Sep 4, 2019 | New President of the ETH Board elected
Today, the Federal Council elected Michael Hengartner as the new President of the ETH Board. He will take office on 1 February 2020, succeeding Fritz Schiesser.
Sep 2, 2019 | Cooperation between Empa and Lexus
Automated vehicles have the potential to make road traffic safer, more efficient and more comfortable. Lexus and Empa recently joined forces to improve sensor technology for automated vehicles.
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Aug 30, 2019 | Empa, KSSG and HSG at the Swiss Digital Day 2019
How can the latest findings from materials science be used in medical practice to develop innovative diagnostic and therapeutic concepts? Empa researchers, physicians from the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen (KSSG) and...
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Aug 28, 2019 | International award for NEST unit
The NEST unit "Urban Mining & Recycling" is among the winners of the international competition "beyond bauhaus – prototyping the future". The concept of an apartment suitable for a circular economy was among the 20...
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Aug 27, 2019 | Better understanding human bones
Can analytical methods from materials science help us better understand human bones? A research team at Empa in Thun is pursuing precisely this approach.
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Aug 19, 2019 | Powertrain technology
Internal combustion engines require valves to aspirate and discharge gases. Engine designers require a high degree of flexibility to improve efficiency, reduce pollutants and optimize the use of renewable fuels. Up to...
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Aug 15, 2019 | Prevent excessive scarring
Poorly healing wounds and severe scarring are more than just a cosmetic problem; they can significantly impair a person's mobility and health. Empa researchers have now developed a foam that is supposed to prevent...
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Aug 12, 2019 | Old electric car batteries
The number of registrations of electric cars is rising sharply. But where to put old batteries? The association of Swiss car importers, "auto-schweiz", is striving for a recycling solution for the entire industry. Empa...
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Aug 8, 2019 | Sensor technology
Over the next three years, researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, University of Cambridge, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la ville de Paris (ESPCI-Paris) and Empa will be working...
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Aug 6, 2019 | Zurich Heart project
The human heart still poses great challenges to modern medicine. More than ten million people in Europe suffer from heart failure, and quite a few of them need a donor organ. Artificial heart pumps are used to bridge the...
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Jul 29, 2019 | «Additive Manufacturing»
The managing directors of one of the world's largest laser technology manufacturers visited Empa in Thun in July 2019. Flame Chen, General Manager of the Han's Laser Smart Equipment Group from Shenzen, was informed about...
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Jul 24, 2019 | Research cooperation with Korea
Empa and the Korean Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) are committed to working together for a sustainable and networked society. The joint research activities will focus on smart buildings and...
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Jul 23, 2019 | Advantage for cousumer and supplier
Solar systems on the roofs of residential buildings often produce energy precisely when the residents can’t actually use it. Stationary batteries enable this energy to be utilized in the evening, at night or on a rainy...
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Jul 22, 2019 | Swiss students dominate this year's Hyperloop Pod Competition in LA
At yesterday’s Hyperloop Pod Competition in Los Angeles, the Swissloop pod achieved a top speed of 252 km/h. The team, comprising students from Empa, ETH Zurich and other Swiss universities, finished in second place....
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Jul 17, 2019 | University of Constance appoints Lorenz Hilty as University Councillor
Empa researcher Lorenz Hilty is a new member of the University Council of the University of Constance. He was elected by the University Senate and appointed by the Ministry of Science of the German state of...
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Jul 16, 2019 | Fighting unwanted biofilms
Biofilms are enormously resistant accumulations of germs, which can cause serious problems, especially in hospitals. Like a single large creature, they can spread within wounds or colonize implants or biomedical...
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Jul 12, 2019 | Empa study on plastic pollution in Switzerland
Plastic should not be found in the environment. In order to estimate for the first time the exact extent of plastic pollution in Switzerland, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has mandated Empa researchers to...
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Jul 8, 2019 | How do we sustainably restructure our energy system?
A new Empa study shows how much work still lies ahead of us if Switzerland is to do without fossil fuels in the future. There are two possible solutions: storing large amounts of energy in summer and limiting our demand...
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Jul 5, 2019 | "Energy and Decarbonization" conference at Empa
Switzerland is about to undergo a comprehensive transformation of its energy system if it plans to drastically curb its CO2 emissions. The one-day conference on "Energy and Decarbonization" on 3 July at the Empa Academy...
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Jul 4, 2019 | CIGS solar cells with improved efficiency
Never before has such an efficient flexible CIGS solar cell been built. Empa researchers achieve an efficiency of 20.8% – breaking their own record.
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Jul 4, 2019 | Role of "Power-to-X" for the Swiss energy strategy
In a joint research project involving five Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research (SCCERs), scientists from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Empa, ETH Zurich, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), the...
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Jul 2, 2019 | Digital twin for personalized therapies
Virtual doppelgangers could one day revolutionize medicine: Empa researchers are developing a digital twin, which should facilitate the development of personalized therapies. The goal is for these avatars to demonstrate...