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Environment - Chemistry - 17.01.2023 
Robust and flexible to synthetic methane
Synthetic energy carriers are carbon-neutral and make renewable energy transportable and storable in the long term. Synthetically produced methane is one of them. The problem: The production involves rather high energy losses; moreover, existing processes require the methane to be purified. To change this, researchers have developed a new, optimized reactor concept for methanation.
Environment - Chemistry - 15.12.2022 
Fewer and «greener» chemicals to protect biodiversity
Work is currently underway in Montreal at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) to negotiate a framework agreement to preserve biodiversity.
Chemistry - Environment - 08.11.2022 
Sustainable scents from the mountain of the gods
Chemist Freideriki Michailidou is developing novel processes for the sustainable production of fragrance ingredients. As a first step, she studied the scents of rare aromatic plants that grow only on Mount Olympus in Greece. To tackle this challenge, she scaled Mount Olympus this past summer. She took along one of the ETH Biocommunication group's headspace traps, a device equipped with a glass bell or a plastic bag, which is placed carefully over a plant.
Chemistry - Materials Science - 15.09.2022 
Hitting the bull’s eye
In the FOXIP project, researchers form Empa, EPFL and the Paul Scherrer Institute attempted to print thin-film transistors with metal oxides onto heat-sensitive materials such as paper or PET. The goal was ultimately not achieved, but those involved consider the project a success - because of a new printing ink an a transistor with "memory effect".
Chemistry - Innovation - 30.08.2022 
Synthesis at the touch of a button
In many chemical laboratories, routine chemical syntheses are performed on a daily basis, which takes up a lot of time.
Chemistry - Environment - 19.07.2022 
Industrial wastewater: even state-of-the-art treatment plants do not eliminate all contaminants
Even though industrial wastewater is treated at state-of-the art plants, the sheer variety of synthetic organic compounds from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry which end up in surface waters are seriously underestimated.
Chemistry - 18.07.2022 
Boosting learning by putting theory into practice
Summer series - Master's project (3). Two groups of EPFL students turned their blueprints into functional prototypes: a self-heating food box and a self-cooling vaccine transport container. For engineers, little can be more satisfying than turning your ideas into working objects you can see and touch.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 29.06.2022 
Watching how cells deal with stress
FMI researchers developed an imaging approach that allowed them to visualize individual molecules involved in the cell's response to stress. When a cell is exposed to stressors such as toxins, it switches on pathways aimed at repairing damage. One of these pathways is called the 'unfolded protein response', which senses unfolded or misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum — a cell organelle designated for folding proteins destined to other organelles or to be secreted by the cell.
Chemistry - Environment - 28.06.2022 
Aiming at an industry without CO2 emissions
On 20 June, the Association for the Decarbonization of Industry with representatives from industry, energy suppliers, the financial sector and research adopted a joint strategy with the aim of developing holistic approaches for CO2 cuts in industrial applications that can rapidly be implemented. The focus is on high-temperature processes and logistics.
Chemistry - Event - 24.06.2022
Chemistry - Environment - 21.06.2022
Chemistry - Computer Science - 04.04.2022 
Chemical data management: an open way forward
Writing , three scientists propose an open platform for managing the vast amounts of diverse data produced in chemical research. Based on principles of accessibility, collaboration and efficiency, the proposed platform could be spearheaded by EPFL. One of the most challenging aspects of modern chemistry is managing data.
Earth Sciences - Chemistry - 28.01.2022
Chemistry - Physics - 13.12.2021 
Can oil and water mix?
Common experience tells us that oil and water do not mix. Yet, it turns out that they can mix when oil is dispersed as small droplets in water. This strange behavior has long vexed scientists because there is no explanation for it. A team of EPFL and ICTP scientists have studied this question using novel optical technology and discovered the mechanism by which these two neutral and immiscible compounds can in fact mix together and form emulsions.
Environment - Chemistry - 02.12.2021 
Blue hydrogen can help protect the climate
An international group of researchers led by the Paul Scherrer Institute and the Heriot-Watt University has carried out in-depth analyses of the climate impact of blue hydrogen.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 24.11.2021
Physics - Chemistry - 23.11.2021 
At the Dubochet Center for imaging, atoms are made visible
Fully operational for two weeks, the Dubochet Center for imaging was presented to the press on November 22.
Chemistry - 11.11.2021 
3D chemistry boosts perovskite efficiency to 23.9%
An international collaboration led by EPFL chemical engineers has overcome a problem in the manufacturing of perovskites that reduces their efficiency as solar panels. The approach produced perovskite solar panels with an efficiency of 23.9% and operational stability longer than 1000 hours. Perovskites are hybrid compounds made from metal halides and organic constituents, and show great potential in a range of applications, e.g. LED lights, lasers, and photodetectors.
Environment - Chemistry - 03.11.2021 
CO2 can be turned into a valuable resource
In a new study, researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI show that CO2 electrolysis can not only be profitable, but can also contribute to climate protection. With this method, carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere or at the point of production, such as an industrial plant. An electrolysis cell then converts the gas for industrial use, such as in chemicals production.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 01.11.2021
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 18.10.2021 
A molecular biologist with a fascination for sunburn
Human cells are like tiny, multi-purpose factories. In his research, biologist Gabriele Alessandro Fontana investigates how cells repair damaged DNA.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 12.10.2021
Chemistry - Electroengineering - 10.10.2021 
Seeing the world through different eyes
Short-wave infrared light (SWIR) is useful for many things: It helps sort out damaged fruit and inspecting silicon chips, and it enables night vision devices with sharp images.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 07.10.2021
Environment - Chemistry - 28.09.2021 
Prestigious award for Urs von Gunten
Eawag scientist and EPFL professor Urs von Gunten is to receive the prestigious ACS Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 23.09.2021 
Engineers introduce a new approach for recycling plastics
Two EPFL engineers have come up with a revolutionary new method for tackling plastic pollution by harnessing the inner workings of proteins.
Astronomy / Space Science - Chemistry - 27.08.2021 
Unravelling the mystery of brown dwarfs
An international team, led by the UNIGE, has investigated five astronomical objects that could help us understand the mysterious nature of brown dwarfs.
Chemistry - Materials Science - 30.06.2021 
Fireproof and comfortable
A new chemical process developed by Empa turns cotton into a fire-resistant fabric, that nevertheless retains the skin-friendly properties of cotton.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 18.06.2021 
’The term ’artificial’ is often associated with risk’
Is natural always good and artificial always bad? We talked to psychologist Angela Bearth and biotechnologist Sven Panke about science, scepticism, misunderstandings and how language influences the way we think.
Chemistry - Campus - 18.06.2021
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 14.06.2021 
They build proteins that are not known to nature
Using chemical synthesis, Bright Peak Therapeutics can produce proteins that have never before existed.
Physics - Chemistry - 08.06.2021
Astronomy / Space Science - Chemistry - 21.05.2021
Earth Sciences - Chemistry - 03.05.2021
Environment - Chemistry - 25.03.2021 
Clean hydrogen can reduce the climate impact of industries
EPFL engineers are taking part in PROMETEO - an EU research project to generate hydrogen on a large scale from renewable sources, in an effort to lower industrial carbon emissions.
Innovation - Chemistry - 19.03.2021 
Mini-fuel cell delivers maximum performance
EPFL startup INERGIO has just unveiled a prototype for a lightweight, eco-friendly, high-performance fuel cell that can supply energy in situations where there's no power grid.
Environment - Chemistry - 18.02.2021
Environment - Chemistry - 25.01.2021 
Saving the climate with solar fuel
Produced in a sustainable way, synthetic fuels contribute to switching mobility to renewable energy and to achieving the climate goals in road traffic.
Electroengineering - Chemistry - 15.01.2021
Chemistry - Environment - 08.01.2021
Chemistry - Life Sciences - 04.12.2020
Materials Science - Chemistry - 22.10.2020 
Turning streetwear into solar power plants
Empa researchers succeeded in developing a material that works like a luminescent solar concentrator and can even be applied to textiles.
Chemistry - Environment - 14.10.2020 
Biodegradable flip-flops coming soon
Biodegradable plastics are very much on trend. But there are still very few sustainable alternatives for products containing foamed plastic.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 21.09.2020
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 21.09.2020 
How to make a replication origin in multicellular eukaryotes
Loading of replicative helicases onto DNA is a key event during the initiation of chromosomal DNA replication.
Environment - Chemistry - 02.09.2020
Materials Science - Chemistry - 02.09.2020
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 31.08.2020 
FMI is a partner in the new EU “HCA|Organoid” project
Organoid" was launched today. It aims at validating organoids as faithful models of human biology, combining single-cell profiling and organoid technology.
Chemistry - 18.08.2020 
Kumar Varoon Agrawal prospects advanced purification processes
Summer series: science as a vocation. Kumar Varoon Agrawal, a tenure-track assistant professor who holds the Gaznat Chair for Advanced Separations at EPFL Valais-Wallis, is developing advanced membranes for the molecular separation of industrial product streams, mainly for CO2 capture.
Environment - Chemistry - 11.08.2020 
Florian Breider: a passion for all things Japanese
Summer series: Careers in research. Florian Breider, who heads EPFL's Central Environmental Laboratory (CEL), knew from a young age that he wanted to become a scientist.
Chemistry
Results 1 - 50 of 196.
Synthetic energy carriers are carbon-neutral and make renewable energy transportable and storable in the long term. Synthetically produced methane is one of them. The problem: The production involves rather high energy losses; moreover, existing processes require the methane to be purified. To change this, researchers have developed a new, optimized reactor concept for methanation.
Work is currently underway in Montreal at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) to negotiate a framework agreement to preserve biodiversity.
Chemist Freideriki Michailidou is developing novel processes for the sustainable production of fragrance ingredients. As a first step, she studied the scents of rare aromatic plants that grow only on Mount Olympus in Greece. To tackle this challenge, she scaled Mount Olympus this past summer. She took along one of the ETH Biocommunication group's headspace traps, a device equipped with a glass bell or a plastic bag, which is placed carefully over a plant.
In the FOXIP project, researchers form Empa, EPFL and the Paul Scherrer Institute attempted to print thin-film transistors with metal oxides onto heat-sensitive materials such as paper or PET. The goal was ultimately not achieved, but those involved consider the project a success - because of a new printing ink an a transistor with "memory effect".
In many chemical laboratories, routine chemical syntheses are performed on a daily basis, which takes up a lot of time.
Even though industrial wastewater is treated at state-of-the art plants, the sheer variety of synthetic organic compounds from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry which end up in surface waters are seriously underestimated.
Summer series - Master's project (3). Two groups of EPFL students turned their blueprints into functional prototypes: a self-heating food box and a self-cooling vaccine transport container. For engineers, little can be more satisfying than turning your ideas into working objects you can see and touch.
FMI researchers developed an imaging approach that allowed them to visualize individual molecules involved in the cell's response to stress. When a cell is exposed to stressors such as toxins, it switches on pathways aimed at repairing damage. One of these pathways is called the 'unfolded protein response', which senses unfolded or misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum — a cell organelle designated for folding proteins destined to other organelles or to be secreted by the cell.
On 20 June, the Association for the Decarbonization of Industry with representatives from industry, energy suppliers, the financial sector and research adopted a joint strategy with the aim of developing holistic approaches for CO2 cuts in industrial applications that can rapidly be implemented. The focus is on high-temperature processes and logistics.
We need to simplify chemistry
Making the chemical industry sustainable means reducing not only its dependence on fossil raw materials but also its toxicity footprint.
Making the chemical industry sustainable means reducing not only its dependence on fossil raw materials but also its toxicity footprint.
Writing , three scientists propose an open platform for managing the vast amounts of diverse data produced in chemical research. Based on principles of accessibility, collaboration and efficiency, the proposed platform could be spearheaded by EPFL. One of the most challenging aspects of modern chemistry is managing data.
Common experience tells us that oil and water do not mix. Yet, it turns out that they can mix when oil is dispersed as small droplets in water. This strange behavior has long vexed scientists because there is no explanation for it. A team of EPFL and ICTP scientists have studied this question using novel optical technology and discovered the mechanism by which these two neutral and immiscible compounds can in fact mix together and form emulsions.
An international group of researchers led by the Paul Scherrer Institute and the Heriot-Watt University has carried out in-depth analyses of the climate impact of blue hydrogen.
Fully operational for two weeks, the Dubochet Center for imaging was presented to the press on November 22.
An international collaboration led by EPFL chemical engineers has overcome a problem in the manufacturing of perovskites that reduces their efficiency as solar panels. The approach produced perovskite solar panels with an efficiency of 23.9% and operational stability longer than 1000 hours. Perovskites are hybrid compounds made from metal halides and organic constituents, and show great potential in a range of applications, e.g. LED lights, lasers, and photodetectors.
In a new study, researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI show that CO2 electrolysis can not only be profitable, but can also contribute to climate protection. With this method, carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere or at the point of production, such as an industrial plant. An electrolysis cell then converts the gas for industrial use, such as in chemicals production.
Human cells are like tiny, multi-purpose factories. In his research, biologist Gabriele Alessandro Fontana investigates how cells repair damaged DNA.
Short-wave infrared light (SWIR) is useful for many things: It helps sort out damaged fruit and inspecting silicon chips, and it enables night vision devices with sharp images.
Eawag scientist and EPFL professor Urs von Gunten is to receive the prestigious ACS Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology.
Two EPFL engineers have come up with a revolutionary new method for tackling plastic pollution by harnessing the inner workings of proteins.
An international team, led by the UNIGE, has investigated five astronomical objects that could help us understand the mysterious nature of brown dwarfs.
A new chemical process developed by Empa turns cotton into a fire-resistant fabric, that nevertheless retains the skin-friendly properties of cotton.
Is natural always good and artificial always bad? We talked to psychologist Angela Bearth and biotechnologist Sven Panke about science, scepticism, misunderstandings and how language influences the way we think.
Using chemical synthesis, Bright Peak Therapeutics can produce proteins that have never before existed.
EPFL engineers are taking part in PROMETEO - an EU research project to generate hydrogen on a large scale from renewable sources, in an effort to lower industrial carbon emissions.
EPFL startup INERGIO has just unveiled a prototype for a lightweight, eco-friendly, high-performance fuel cell that can supply energy in situations where there's no power grid.
We need a global science panel on chemicals and waste
Chemical pollution is a global threat that demands for global action, says Zhanyun Wang. An interface body similar to the IPCC could help bridge the gap between science and policy. Chemicals are at the heart of our modern world. But the way the world deals with chemicals is highly inadequate. Over the last decades, the number and diversity of chemicals produced and traded have increased drastically, reaching several hundred thousands.
Chemical pollution is a global threat that demands for global action, says Zhanyun Wang. An interface body similar to the IPCC could help bridge the gap between science and policy. Chemicals are at the heart of our modern world. But the way the world deals with chemicals is highly inadequate. Over the last decades, the number and diversity of chemicals produced and traded have increased drastically, reaching several hundred thousands.
Produced in a sustainable way, synthetic fuels contribute to switching mobility to renewable energy and to achieving the climate goals in road traffic.
Biomass-driven technology allows for enhanced energy conversion
Organic waste - whether from households, agriculture or agroforestry - can be used as energy resource, but is often underexploited.
Organic waste - whether from households, agriculture or agroforestry - can be used as energy resource, but is often underexploited.
Empa researchers succeeded in developing a material that works like a luminescent solar concentrator and can even be applied to textiles.
Biodegradable plastics are very much on trend. But there are still very few sustainable alternatives for products containing foamed plastic.
Loading of replicative helicases onto DNA is a key event during the initiation of chromosomal DNA replication.
Organoid" was launched today. It aims at validating organoids as faithful models of human biology, combining single-cell profiling and organoid technology.
Summer series: science as a vocation. Kumar Varoon Agrawal, a tenure-track assistant professor who holds the Gaznat Chair for Advanced Separations at EPFL Valais-Wallis, is developing advanced membranes for the molecular separation of industrial product streams, mainly for CO2 capture.
Summer series: Careers in research. Florian Breider, who heads EPFL's Central Environmental Laboratory (CEL), knew from a young age that he wanted to become a scientist.
