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Innovation - Materials Science - 29.03.2023 
Spark Award for new corrosion protection
More effective, reusable and self-repairing: a new kind of corrosion protection developed by the researchers Marco D'Elia, Walter Caseri, Mirko Magni und Markus Niederberger has been honoured with ETH Zurich's Spark Award 2023.
Materials Science - Health - 21.03.2023 
Two young researchers on their way to becoming entrepreneurs
Two young scientists each receive an Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship to develop innovative products based on their research.
Environment - Materials Science - 26.02.2023 
No climate neutrality without critical raw materials
Europe's energy transition will not succeed without access to essential metals like rare earths, says security researcher Julian Kamasa.
Materials Science - Physics - 23.02.2023
Materials Science - Chemistry - 07.02.2023 
Crystalline light catchers
Three institutes in the ETH Domain are conducting research on so-called perovskite-based optoelectronics, such as solar cells, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In a project called AMYS, labs of EPFL, ETH Zurich and Empa have now joined forces for four years to explore new chemical compositions, but also simple and scalable low cost production methods.
Materials Science - Innovation - 06.02.2023
Materials Science - Physics - 02.02.2023 
With nanoeffects towards new joining processes
Electronic components are becoming smaller, more complex and more powerful - this calls for new solutions for joining them. An Empa team is developing nanostructured joining materials for the next generation of microelectronics and other demanding applications. Gordon Moore was right. In April 1965, the US engineer and later co-founder of Intel predicted that the number of transistors on a chip would double about every two years.
Environment - Materials Science - 27.01.2023 
Plant-based insulation materials as CO2 sinks?
Researchers want to develop a novel type of insulating material from plant-based raw materials or waste products that can permanently bind the CO2 it contains by means of a special heat treatment - and thus act as a CO2 sink.
Innovation - Materials Science - 06.01.2023
Materials Science - Innovation - 03.01.2023 
’Keeping an eye on processes’
Pierangelo Gröning, President of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Transfer Center (AM-TTC) Alliance and Empa's Research Commission and member of Empa's Directorate, explains the research institute's role in AM research. What does the buzzword Advanced Manufacturing actually mean? What is so new about it? Today, modern materials science involves more than just the development of materials.
Innovation - Materials Science - 22.12.2022
Materials Science - Physics - 09.12.2022
Research Management - Materials Science - 24.11.2022 
Consortium wins funding for project on ORD practices
A consortium with researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Empa and ETH Zurich has won funding of almost CHF1.3 million for a three-year project on open and reproducible materials science research.
Health - Materials Science - 23.11.2022 
Stylish sensors to wear
With sensors that measure health parameters and can be worn on the body, we do let technology get very close to us.
Materials Science - Innovation - 16.11.2022 
Batteries: The game changer of the energy transition
Although they are indispensable nowadays, there is still a lack of knowledge and skepticism about batteries.
Research Management - Materials Science - 15.11.2022
Materials Science - Innovation - 10.11.2022 
Water-activated paper battery among the world’s best inventions
Every year, TIME publishes a list of the most important inventions of the year.
Materials Science - Earth Sciences - 26.10.2022 
He makes it light
Belgian-born Wim Malfait is a trained geologist who once searched for gold on behalf of a mining company. Today, he heads the Building Energy Materials and Components laboratory, which develops, among other things, super-lightweight aerogel insulation materials and materials with heat exchange capabilities.
Materials Science - Economics - 05.10.2022
Materials Science - 30.09.2022 
The e-Sling electric aircraft takes off
Header The four-seater electric aircraft "e-Sling", which was developed by ETH students, has taken flight for the first time. The student project has taken two years and a lot of dedication. For two years, a team of around 20 ETH students worked tirelessly in a hangar in the Innovation Park in Dübendorf.
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".
Physics - Materials Science - 14.09.2022 
Scientist among winners in Physical sciences
Which are the next walls to fall in science and society? Guided by this question, the brightest minds in the international scientific community submitted their groundbreaking projects for the prestigious "Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2022". The jury has made its choice - selecting among 95 nominations a project led by Empa researcher Roman Fasel as one of ten winners in the "Physical Sciences" category.
Materials Science - 08.08.2022 
BERNINA Design Challenge: Sewing machine is a marvel of engineering
Summer series - Bachelor's project (6). A group of around 15 EPFL students spent a semester working on projects using BERNINA sewing machines, dispelling common misconceptions and stereotypes in the process.
Materials Science - Life Sciences - 30.06.2022
Transport - Materials Science - 22.06.2022 
Getting into the air
Eight ETH students are working on battery and hydrogen versions of an electric aircraft as part of the e-Sling focus project.
Innovation - Materials Science - 24.05.2022 
Research in the service of Switzerland
"How to best serve Switzerland" - that is the question behind numerous research projects and innovations from the institutions of the ETH Domain, said Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, on the fringes of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Materials Science - Career - 19.05.2022
Materials Science - 02.05.2022
Materials Science - 28.04.2022
Innovation - Materials Science - 25.04.2022 
Focus on people
Empa's Annual Report 2021 leads you on a gripping journey through the world of research and innovation; you may be surprised at how broad the term "applied research" is defined at Empa.
Innovation - Materials Science - 20.04.2022
Physics - Materials Science - 11.04.2022 
An eye for the smallest things
As head of Empa's Electron Microscopy Center, Rolf Erni has to balance many tasks: negotiating industrial contracts, promoting young scientists, teaching, supporting researchers at other Empa labs.
Materials Science - Environment - 31.03.2022 
CircuBAT improves eco-balance of e-mobility
The research project CircuBAT aims to create a circular business model for the production, application and recycling of lithium-ion batteries used for mobility purposes. Seven Swiss research institutions and 24 companies are joining forces to look for ways to boost sustainability in all stages of a battery's life cycle.
Materials Science - Transport - 31.03.2022 
Electric car batteries could soon get a second lease on life
EPFL has joined six other Swiss research institutions in CircuBAT, an initiative selected for the first Innosuisse Flagship program, in order to develop a circular business model for lithium-ion batteries.
Physics - Materials Science - 10.03.2022
Materials Science - Career - 23.02.2022
Materials Science - Innovation - 23.02.2022
Materials Science - Innovation - 08.02.2022 
Building lean pays off
Super-insulating materials such as aerogels are expensive. At the same time, they offer a powerful advantage: the thinner the insulation of a building, the larger its usable area.
Physics - Materials Science - 31.01.2022 
Carbon nanomaterials for future quantum technologies
Twelve years of intense work are now bearing fruit - researchers at Empa have developed unique carbon materials with quite astonishing, hitherto unattained electronic and magnetic properties, which one day could be used to build quantum computers with novel architectures.
Materials Science - Environment - 04.01.2022 
Ecological coating for Bananas
Empa and Lidl Switzerland have jointly developed a cellulose protective coating for fruit and vegetables. The novel coating is made from so-called pomace - squeezed fruit and vegetable peels. The innovative project can reduce packaging and prevent food waste. Plastic packaging in grocery stores protects fruits and vegetables from spoilage, but also creates significant amounts of waste.
Materials Science - Environment - 20.12.2021 
Multifunctional construction elements lower buildings' energy needs
Engineers at EPFL have studied the use of construction slabs that serve both as structural building elements and floor heating systems.
Materials Science - Innovation - 15.12.2021 
Building lean pays off
Super-insulating materials such as aerogels are expensive. At the same time, they offer a powerful advantage: the thinner the insulation of a building, the larger its usable area.
Materials Science - Economics - 15.12.2021 
Silence on the tracks
Noise barriers or improved wheel systems and brakes that are less noisy are not the only ways to reduce railway noise for close-by residents. An inconspicuous component under the tracks is a source of hope for a research team including scientists. Railway noise is unhealthy. Hundreds of millions of Swiss francs have already been invested in noise barriers, quieter braking systems and other measures with the goal to protect at least 80 percent of the Swiss population from emissions by the year 2025 - but because railway traffic will continue to increase, a lot remains to be done.
Materials Science - Health - 15.12.2021 
In the heat of the wound
A bandage that releases medication as soon as an infection starts in a wound could treat injuries more efficiently. researchers are currently working on polymer fibers that soften as soon as the environment heats up due to an infection, thereby releasing antimicrobial drugs. It is not possible to tell from the outside whether a wound will heal without problems under the dressing or whether bacteria will penetrate the injured tissue and ignite an inflammation.
Materials Science - Health - 15.12.2021
Materials Science - Health - 14.12.2021 
A polymer patch for the abdominal cavity
Operations on the digestive tract involve particularly high risks. To enable wounds on the intestinal wall to be sealed tightly in the future, Empa researcher Alexandre Anthis has developed a patch that prevents dangerous leaks.
Materials Science - 10.12.2021
Research Management - Materials Science - 16.11.2021 
Three Empa Scientists honored as ’Influencers’
Every year, the most cited scientists are selected. They are each considered to be particularly influential in their field.
Materials Science - 04.11.2021
Physics - Materials Science - 15.10.2021 
New nanowire architectures boost computers' processing power
Valerio Piazza is creating new 3D architectures built from an inventive form of nanowire. His research aims to push the boundaries of miniaturization and pave the way to more powerful electronic devices.
Materials Science
Results 1 - 50 of 341.
More effective, reusable and self-repairing: a new kind of corrosion protection developed by the researchers Marco D'Elia, Walter Caseri, Mirko Magni und Markus Niederberger has been honoured with ETH Zurich's Spark Award 2023.
Two young scientists each receive an Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship to develop innovative products based on their research.
Europe's energy transition will not succeed without access to essential metals like rare earths, says security researcher Julian Kamasa.
Three institutes in the ETH Domain are conducting research on so-called perovskite-based optoelectronics, such as solar cells, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In a project called AMYS, labs of EPFL, ETH Zurich and Empa have now joined forces for four years to explore new chemical compositions, but also simple and scalable low cost production methods.
Electronic components are becoming smaller, more complex and more powerful - this calls for new solutions for joining them. An Empa team is developing nanostructured joining materials for the next generation of microelectronics and other demanding applications. Gordon Moore was right. In April 1965, the US engineer and later co-founder of Intel predicted that the number of transistors on a chip would double about every two years.
Researchers want to develop a novel type of insulating material from plant-based raw materials or waste products that can permanently bind the CO2 it contains by means of a special heat treatment - and thus act as a CO2 sink.
Pierangelo Gröning, President of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Transfer Center (AM-TTC) Alliance and Empa's Research Commission and member of Empa's Directorate, explains the research institute's role in AM research. What does the buzzword Advanced Manufacturing actually mean? What is so new about it? Today, modern materials science involves more than just the development of materials.
A consortium with researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Empa and ETH Zurich has won funding of almost CHF1.3 million for a three-year project on open and reproducible materials science research.
With sensors that measure health parameters and can be worn on the body, we do let technology get very close to us.
Although they are indispensable nowadays, there is still a lack of knowledge and skepticism about batteries.
Every year, TIME publishes a list of the most important inventions of the year.
Belgian-born Wim Malfait is a trained geologist who once searched for gold on behalf of a mining company. Today, he heads the Building Energy Materials and Components laboratory, which develops, among other things, super-lightweight aerogel insulation materials and materials with heat exchange capabilities.
Header The four-seater electric aircraft "e-Sling", which was developed by ETH students, has taken flight for the first time. The student project has taken two years and a lot of dedication. For two years, a team of around 20 ETH students worked tirelessly in a hangar in the Innovation Park in Dübendorf.
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".
Which are the next walls to fall in science and society? Guided by this question, the brightest minds in the international scientific community submitted their groundbreaking projects for the prestigious "Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2022". The jury has made its choice - selecting among 95 nominations a project led by Empa researcher Roman Fasel as one of ten winners in the "Physical Sciences" category.
Summer series - Bachelor's project (6). A group of around 15 EPFL students spent a semester working on projects using BERNINA sewing machines, dispelling common misconceptions and stereotypes in the process.
Making better use of sugar beet - thanks to Empa know-how
More than 250 million metric tons of sugar beet were harvested worldwide in 2020 and processed into table sugar.
More than 250 million metric tons of sugar beet were harvested worldwide in 2020 and processed into table sugar.
Eight ETH students are working on battery and hydrogen versions of an electric aircraft as part of the e-Sling focus project.
"How to best serve Switzerland" - that is the question behind numerous research projects and innovations from the institutions of the ETH Domain, said Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, on the fringes of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Empa's Annual Report 2021 leads you on a gripping journey through the world of research and innovation; you may be surprised at how broad the term "applied research" is defined at Empa.
As head of Empa's Electron Microscopy Center, Rolf Erni has to balance many tasks: negotiating industrial contracts, promoting young scientists, teaching, supporting researchers at other Empa labs.
The research project CircuBAT aims to create a circular business model for the production, application and recycling of lithium-ion batteries used for mobility purposes. Seven Swiss research institutions and 24 companies are joining forces to look for ways to boost sustainability in all stages of a battery's life cycle.
EPFL has joined six other Swiss research institutions in CircuBAT, an initiative selected for the first Innosuisse Flagship program, in order to develop a circular business model for lithium-ion batteries.
Super-insulating materials such as aerogels are expensive. At the same time, they offer a powerful advantage: the thinner the insulation of a building, the larger its usable area.
Twelve years of intense work are now bearing fruit - researchers at Empa have developed unique carbon materials with quite astonishing, hitherto unattained electronic and magnetic properties, which one day could be used to build quantum computers with novel architectures.
Empa and Lidl Switzerland have jointly developed a cellulose protective coating for fruit and vegetables. The novel coating is made from so-called pomace - squeezed fruit and vegetable peels. The innovative project can reduce packaging and prevent food waste. Plastic packaging in grocery stores protects fruits and vegetables from spoilage, but also creates significant amounts of waste.
Engineers at EPFL have studied the use of construction slabs that serve both as structural building elements and floor heating systems.
Super-insulating materials such as aerogels are expensive. At the same time, they offer a powerful advantage: the thinner the insulation of a building, the larger its usable area.
Noise barriers or improved wheel systems and brakes that are less noisy are not the only ways to reduce railway noise for close-by residents. An inconspicuous component under the tracks is a source of hope for a research team including scientists. Railway noise is unhealthy. Hundreds of millions of Swiss francs have already been invested in noise barriers, quieter braking systems and other measures with the goal to protect at least 80 percent of the Swiss population from emissions by the year 2025 - but because railway traffic will continue to increase, a lot remains to be done.
A bandage that releases medication as soon as an infection starts in a wound could treat injuries more efficiently. researchers are currently working on polymer fibers that soften as soon as the environment heats up due to an infection, thereby releasing antimicrobial drugs. It is not possible to tell from the outside whether a wound will heal without problems under the dressing or whether bacteria will penetrate the injured tissue and ignite an inflammation.
Operations on the digestive tract involve particularly high risks. To enable wounds on the intestinal wall to be sealed tightly in the future, Empa researcher Alexandre Anthis has developed a patch that prevents dangerous leaks.
Every year, the most cited scientists are selected. They are each considered to be particularly influential in their field.
Valerio Piazza is creating new 3D architectures built from an inventive form of nanowire. His research aims to push the boundaries of miniaturization and pave the way to more powerful electronic devices.
