Dec 18, 2024 | Making Switzerland more competitive
Innosuisse, the Swiss innovation promotion agency, supports research-based innovation to strengthen the international competitiveness of Swiss industry. In Innosuisse-funded projects, companies work together with...
Dec 16, 2024 | Comprehensive material flow analysis of Switzerland's wood
Sustainable, renewable and good for the climate: Wood is the material of the future. But how much of it do we actually have and how do we make best use of it? Researchers from Empa and WSL have now analyzed the material...
Dec 12, 2024 | ICOS Cities
To achieve net zero, we need to reduce our CO₂ emissions quickly and efficiently. An EU project involving Empa has selected Zurich as one of three pilot cities in Europe to accurately measure and model their carbon...
Dec 9, 2024 | Sustainable building technologies
Traditional building materials such as wood and clay are climate-friendly and perfectly complement each other. To ensure they can also be used on a large scale in the construction industry in the future, Empa is teaming...
Dec 5, 2024 | How research creates products
Research is essential, it enables progress and expands our ability to respond to new challenges. However, the direct benefits are not always immediately apparent. Sometimes, however, it is – for instance, when an...
Dec 3, 2024 | Infrared detectors made from quantum dots
From smart textiles to self-driving cars: Empa researchers are developing new types of detectors for infrared radiation that are more sustainable, flexible and cost-effective than conventional technologies. The key to...
Nov 28, 2024 | Refining hardwood by bioluminescence
Since more and more deciduous trees are being planted in Swiss forests, whose wood is often burned directly, innovative ideas are in high demand in order to utilize Swiss hardwood more sustainably. Empa researchers are...
Nov 25, 2024 | Launch of EU project on sustainable timber construction
A new European research project, TIMBERHAUS, aiming at promoting timber construction in Europe, was launched in Copenhagen in early November. The goal is to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the construction sector...
Nov 22, 2024 | "Highly Cited Researchers" 2024
The Empa scientists Maksym Kovalenko and Zhanyun Wang are among the world's most frequently cited researchers in their fields. Their influential work has earned them a place on the list of "Highly Cited Researchers".
Nov 20, 2024 | NEST-Unit «DroneHub» inaugurated
Flying robots capable of inspecting and repairing building envelopes, interacting with natural ecosystems, and monitoring climate change and biodiversity are being developed and tested at the DroneHub at Empa's NEST....
Nov 14, 2024 | Soft robotics
Robots that can sense touch and perceive temperature differences? An unexpected material might just make this a reality. At Empa's Laboratory for High-Performance Ceramics, researchers are developing soft and intelligent...
Nov 12, 2024 | NEST-Unit «STEP2»: Empa and BASF team up
In addition to individual research projects with companies, Empa also enters into strategic, long-term industrial partnerships. The cooperation with BASF is an excellent example of this: Starting with a project on the...
Nov 11, 2024 | Falling Walls 2024
With the annual interdisciplinary science festival Falling Walls, the international research elite is fostering the dialog between science and society on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9. This...
Nov 7, 2024 | From science to industry
How do innovations get out of the lab and into the wider world? There are different ways, summarized under the term technology transfer. In this interview, Marlen Müller, Head of Knowledge and Technology Transfer at...
Nov 4, 2024 | Empa Innovation Award 2024
The Empa Innovation Award recognizes outstanding projects that bridge the gap between the laboratory and industry. This year, a team of researchers from Empa and ETH Zurich is being honored for an innovative sensor...
Oct 31, 2024 | One step closer to quantum technologies
Quantum technologies exploit the unusual properties of the most fundamental building blocks of matter. They promise breakthroughs in communication, computing, sensors and much more. However, quantum states are fragile,...
Oct 28, 2024 | Alzheimer's research
In dementia diseases such as Alzheimer's, incorrectly folded proteins accumulate in the brain. Empa researchers have now resolved a particularly active species of protein fibrils with unprecedented precision. The...
Oct 24, 2024 | Salt batteries
Originally developed for electric cars, nowadays they supply mobile phone antennas with electricity, and tomorrow perhaps entire districts: The salt battery is a safe and long-lasting battery technology with huge...
Oct 22, 2024 | A walk in the park – almost
The newly completed expansion of the Empa and Eawag research campus, co-operate, was proudly presented to the public at an open lab day in mid-September. Shortly beforehand, we went on a walk to highlight what makes the...
Oct 17, 2024 | Energy Days at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne
How can we successfully shape the energy transition? Where do we stand today, and how do children envision a sustainable future? Answers to these and many more questions can be found during the Energy Days at the Swiss...
Oct 15, 2024 | Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship
Drones for firefighting, surgical laser tissue soldering with robots and software for intelligent energy management: This year, three Empa researchers have been awarded an Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship to develop...
Oct 10, 2024 | “Friends of Empa” successfully launched
Empa wants to further strengthen its dialog with the interested public. To this end, it launched a new initiative called “Friends of Empa” on the Open Day - which met with great interest.
Oct 8, 2024 | Intercontinental knowledge transfer
In summer 2024, the South African government published a strategy paper on the management of e-waste, which was developed in collaboration with Empa. This is the first time the country has issued standardized guidelines...
Oct 1, 2024 | Nanoceramics: novel treatment for skin diseases
Widespread skin diseases such as psoriasis or neurodermatitis are difficult to treat. Together with an industrial partner, Empa researchers have found an innovative solution: Nanoceramic "stars" create tiny skin lesions...
Sep 26, 2024 | Empa Zukunftsfonds
Many people suffer from spinal defects, which are often associated with degenerative diseases. The causes are still largely unknown. To change this, Empa researchers from the Center for X-Ray Analytics are investigating...
Sep 25, 2024 | Kick-off for new EU-funded project
STEPLESS, a project funded under Horizon Europe, aims at lowering the environmental footprint during an aircraft's final approach operations. The project started on September 1, 2024, for a duration of 30 months with an...
Sep 24, 2024 | Seed capital and (more) customers for Empa spin-off
Perovskia Solar has won more than ten leading companies from the Internet of Things (IoT) industry as customers and received over two million Swiss francs in seed capital. The multi-award-winning Empa spin-off prints...
Sep 19, 2024 | Production of solar fuels
The ETH spin-off Synhelion has recently inaugurated the world's first industrial plant for the production of solar fuels in Germany. The heart of the plant contains a piece of Empa technology: Together with Synhelion,...
Sep 17, 2024 | Successful Open Lab Days
Last Saturday, Empa and Eawag opened their doors to the public. Around 7000 guests visited the campus in Dübendorf, exchanged ideas with the researchers and learned how the research of today is shaping the world of...
Sep 16, 2024 | Empa and EPFL establish a joint research lab
Empa researcher Mirko Kovac has been Professor of Sustainability Robotics at EPFL's School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering since September 1. The professorship and the associated Laboratory of...
Sep 13, 2024 | Towards a sustainable and competitive battery value chain in Europe
The Horizon 2020 SOLiDIFY consortium, comprised of 14 European partners, has developed a high-performance lithium-metal solid-state battery. The prototype battery, manufactured in a state-of-the-art battery lab at...
Sep 10, 2024 | A shaker for construction research
Multi-storey timber buildings are extremely popular. To prevent them from being damaged by strong winds or earthquakes, sufficient bracing must be provided in the supporting structure. Computer calculations provide the...
Sep 5, 2024 | Open Lab Day at Empa in Dübendorf
How does this actually work – research? What are scientists developing in their labs? And what is it like to be a researcher, scientist or engineer? Answers to these questions and more will be provided at Empa's Open Lab...
Sep 2, 2024 | Artwork on campus: Not to Get Lost
On the Empa and Eawag campus in Dübendorf, artist Julian Charrière has created an installation with boulders of different origins, sizes and compositions. The stones are connected by metallic stone wedges that run...
Aug 29, 2024 | STEP2: New NEST unit inaugurated
A digitally manufactured staircase that winds its way up to the second floor. A wafer-thin, perforated concrete ceiling that absorbs sound. Floor and wall materials made from recycled waste. The latest unit in the NEST...
Aug 27, 2024 | New leadership for department Engineering Sciences
The Empa Directorate has appointed Peter Richner's successor in his role as Head of Department. Energy and building technology expert Matthias Sulzer will take over as Head of Department Engineering Sciences as of...
Aug 26, 2024 | The singing Tesla coil
A Tesla coil that makes music besides flashes of lightning? No problem for Silvio Müller and Yanis Strüby, apprentice physics laboratory technicians at Empa. With their singing Tesla coil, they won both the jury and the...
Aug 23, 2024 | Buildings as carbon sinks
With its new research initiative Mining the Atmosphere, Empa is proposing nothing less than a paradigm shift: from a CO2-emitting to a CO2-binding society. The greenhouse gas is to be used as a valuable material – for...
Aug 21, 2024 | Novel measuring method for gas emissions
Researchers from Empa, the University of Bristol and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) have investigated the emissions of the potent greenhouse gas HFC-23 from the production of Teflon...
Aug 19, 2024 | The Empa summer camp 2024
The first week of summer vacation in Zurich is summer camp time at Empa! The 20-plus slots for the children of Empa employees were once again in great demand and quickly booked out. In various workshops, the children...
Aug 15, 2024 | Manikins - Sensor technology for the well-tempered office
Thanks to sensor technology and mathematical modeling, smart dummies provide new insights into how workplaces can be brought to a comfortable temperature in an energy-efficient way and how to prevent patients from...
Aug 13, 2024 | Open Lab Day in Dübendorf
On Saturday, 14 September 2024, Empa will host an Open Lab Day at its new research campus in Dübendorf. Visitors can experience research up close, meet scientists, marvel at pioneering technologies in the NEST and move...
Aug 9, 2024 | Construction completed
The joint campus of Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf has grown by three buildings in the past three years. These offer employees and guests more comfort, attractiveness and security – and provide significantly more space for...
Aug 5, 2024 | 30 years of Empa in Thun
Within 30 years, Empa in Thun has developed into an internationally renowned center for materials technology with a unique research infrastructure. Recently, the Thun campus celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Jul 31, 2024 | Construction for DroneHub gets off the ground
Starting in early July, the latest NEST Unit at the Empa and Eawag research and innovation building, the DroneHub, has begun to take shape. Its cage, separating the research facility from the environment, is already...
Jul 30, 2024 | «Aerogel Architecture Award 2024»
On July 12, the Aerogel Architecture Award was presented for the fourth time on the Empa campus. A total of six projects were awarded in the categories “Realized Solutions” and “Student Projects”. They all show...
Jul 25, 2024 | Improving the resilience of energy systems in the Global South
Under the leadership of Empa scientist Mashael Yazdanie, an international research team is investigating ways to better plan for climate-resilient energy systems in the Global South. Focusing on the case study of Accra,...
Jul 23, 2024 | Monitoring greenhouse gas emissions
A new study by the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) shows how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to reduce the impact of climate change on Switzerland. The experts involved have high hopes for...
Jul 17, 2024 | Medical technolgy
Researchers from ETH Zurich and Empa have developed a hydrogel implant that can help prevent endometriosis, a condition that affects a great many women. This innovation also acts as a contraceptive.
Jul 16, 2024 | Reducing CO2 emissions in concrete production
Recycling cement paste is one of the cheapest and most efficient ways to reduce emissions from cement production, a new study published recently in PNAS has found. The research, led by experts at Imperial College...
Jul 8, 2024 | Measuring the doughnut
Sustainability and quality of life – a contradiction? Not necessarily, shows a new study by Empa researchers. According to their calculations, an ecologically and socially just life is possible for over ten billion...
Jul 4, 2024 | Among Europe's leading start-up hubs
Startfeld is one of Europe's leading Start-up Hubs in 2024. The start-up support provided by Empa and the Switzerland Innovation Park Ost in St. Gallen has recently for the first time received the Financial Times Award....
Jul 2, 2024 | Novel diagnostics for kidney stones
The best way to treat kidney stones depends on how what they are composed of and how they are shaped. Empa researchers are now working on a painless diagnostic procedure using dark-field X-ray imaging. This innovative...
Jun 27, 2024 | Synthetic fuels and chemicals from CO₂
Why do just one experiment at a time when you can do ten? Empa researchers have developed an automated system, which allows them to research catalysts, electrodes, and reaction conditions for CO₂ electrolysis up to ten...
Jun 25, 2024 | Medical textiles and sensors
Medical products such as ointments or syringes reach their limits when it comes to delivering medication locally – and above all in a controlled manner over a longer period of time. Empa researchers are therefore...
Jun 18, 2024 | Using models in a different way
To meet the complex requirements of future building and energy systems, Empa researcher Matthias Sulzer and Berkeley Lab researcher Michael Wetter are proposing a paradigm shift in planning of such systems: They call for...
Jun 14, 2024 | OST Technology Day
Around 200 representatives from industry attended the Technology Day at the Buchs campus of OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule on 11 June 2024. The event about future technologies for Switzerland, at which Empa researcher...
Jun 13, 2024 | Impact of borehole thermal energy storage on groundwater
In a recently launched project, the aquatic research institute Eawag is investigating, together with Empa on the joint campus in Dübendorf, how the use of borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) affects the surrounding...
Jun 11, 2024 | International environmental treaty shows effect
A new study by an international team of researchers, published today in Nature Climate Change, has revealed significant progress in the drive to reduce atmospheric levels of chemicals that destroy the Earth’s protective...
Jun 6, 2024 | Impact of pollution on embryonic development
Little is yet known about the health effects of nanoparticles on pregnancy. An interdisciplinary team led by Empa researchers is currently analyzing the risks for babies in the womb. Using a lab model, the researchers...