display Latest news from Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology on Newswise en-us Copyright 2024 Newswise 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/shaken-not-stirred/?sc=rsin /articles/shaken-not-stirred/?sc=rsin Tue, 10 Sep 2024 04:05:37 EST 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 basis for this. To check these in practice and improve the computer models, Empa researchers use a two-ton "shaker". Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/greenhouse-gas-hfc-23-abatement-of-emissions-is-achievable/?sc=rsin /articles/greenhouse-gas-hfc-23-abatement-of-emissions-is-achievable/?sc=rsin Thu, 22 Aug 2024 03:05:22 EST 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 and coolants. Their study shows: Abatement measures work - but are not being implemented everywhere. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/hvac-is-starting-to-sweat/?sc=rsin /articles/hvac-is-starting-to-sweat/?sc=rsin Thu, 15 Aug 2024 08:05:39 EST 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 getting cold feet in the operating theater. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/energy-planning-in-ghana-as-a-role-model-for-the-world/?sc=rsin /articles/energy-planning-in-ghana-as-a-role-model-for-the-world/?sc=rsin Thu, 25 Jul 2024 04:05:05 EST 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. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/measuring-the-doughnut-a-good-and-ecological-life-is-possible-for-all/?sc=rsin /articles/measuring-the-doughnut-a-good-and-ecological-life-is-possible-for-all/?sc=rsin Mon, 08 Jul 2024 02:05:32 EST 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 people. It will, however, require a paradigm shift. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/novel-diagnostics-for-kidney-stones/?sc=rsin /articles/novel-diagnostics-for-kidney-stones/?sc=rsin Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:05:59 EST 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 technology makes it possible to determine the structure and composition of the stones for each patient. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/synthetic-fuels-and-chemicals-from-co-ten-experiments-in-parallel/?sc=rsin /articles/synthetic-fuels-and-chemicals-from-co-ten-experiments-in-parallel/?sc=rsin Wed, 26 Jun 2024 09:05:19 EST 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 times faster. The system is complemented by an open-source software for data analysis. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/drug-delivery-via-textile-fibers/?sc=rsin /articles/drug-delivery-via-textile-fibers/?sc=rsin Tue, 25 Jun 2024 03:05:47 EST 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 developing polymer fibers that can deliver active ingredients precisely over the long term. These "liquid core fibers" contain drugs inside and can be processed into medical textiles. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/paradigm-shift-in-energy-planning/?sc=rsin /articles/paradigm-shift-in-energy-planning/?sc=rsin Tue, 18 Jun 2024 05:05:23 EST 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 a more automated and model-based planning process, as has long been common practice in the computer chip and automotive industries. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/decline-in-harmful-ozone-depleting-greenhouse-gases/?sc=rsin /articles/decline-in-harmful-ozone-depleting-greenhouse-gases/?sc=rsin Tue, 11 Jun 2024 08:05:58 EST 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 ozone layer, confirming the success of historic regulations limiting their production and use. Empa scientists contributed to this study with measurements from the high-alpine research station at Jungfraujoch. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/nanoparticles-risk-for-babies-in-the-womb/?sc=rsin /articles/nanoparticles-risk-for-babies-in-the-womb/?sc=rsin Thu, 06 Jun 2024 04:05:54 EST 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 were able to determine that certain nanoparticles impair the release of chemical messengers in the placenta and thus the formation of blood vessels. They published their findings in the journal Advanced Science. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/image-sensor-better-cameras-with-perovskite/?sc=rsin /articles/image-sensor-better-cameras-with-perovskite/?sc=rsin Tue, 28 May 2024 09:05:47 EST Capturing three times more light: Empa and ETH researchers are developing an image sensor made of perovskite that could deliver true-color photos even in poor lighting conditions. Unlike conventional image sensors, where the pixels for red, green and blue lie next to each other in a grid, perovskite pixels can be stacked thus greatly increasing the amount of light each individual pixel can capture. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/perovskite-based-tandem-solar-cells/?sc=rsin /articles/perovskite-based-tandem-solar-cells/?sc=rsin Thu, 02 May 2024 04:05:34 EST All-perovskite tandem solar cells could soon pick up where silicon solar cells reach their limits. These highly efficient, lightweight and flexible cells have already proven themselves in the laboratory - now, Empa researchers are working on scaling them up and making them ready for the real world. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/finally-friendly-fibers/?sc=rsin /articles/finally-friendly-fibers/?sc=rsin Tue, 16 Apr 2024 03:05:48 EST Rain jackets, swimming trunks or upholstery fabrics: Textiles with water-repellent properties require chemical impregnation. Although fluorine-containing PFAS chemicals are effective, they are also harmful to human health and accumulate in the environment. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/airy-cellulose-from-a-3d-printer/?sc=rsin /articles/airy-cellulose-from-a-3d-printer/?sc=rsin Thu, 04 Apr 2024 02:05:56 EST Ultra-light, thermally insulating and biodegradable: Cellulose-based aerogels are versatile. Empa researchers have succeeded in 3D printing the natural material into complex shapes that could one day serve as precision insulation in microelectronics or as personalized medical implants. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/smart-protection-for-delicate-skin/?sc=rsin /articles/smart-protection-for-delicate-skin/?sc=rsin Mon, 11 Mar 2024 03:05:21 EST Skin injuries caused by prolonged pressure often occur in people who are unable to change their position independently - such as sick newborns in hospitals or elderly people. Thanks to successful partnerships with industry and research, Empa scientists are now launching two smart solutions for pressure sores. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/platform-chemicals-from-co2/?sc=rsin /articles/platform-chemicals-from-co2/?sc=rsin Wed, 06 Mar 2024 03:05:08 EST Is it possible to convert CO2 back to fuels or other useful chemicals? Absolutely - but not in a very targeted way just yet. Empa researcher Alessandro Senocrate is looking at defects in materials that will help us achieve this goal. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/packaged-in-beer/?sc=rsin /articles/packaged-in-beer/?sc=rsin Tue, 27 Feb 2024 03:05:53 EST Empa researchers have extracted nanocellulose from a waste product of beer brewing and processed it into an aerogel. The high-quality biodegradable material could be used in food packaging. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/graphene-research-numerous-products-no-acute-dangers/?sc=rsin /articles/graphene-research-numerous-products-no-acute-dangers/?sc=rsin Thu, 22 Feb 2024 08:05:10 EST The largest EU research initiative ever launched has come to a successful end: The Graphene Flagship was officially concluded at the end of last year. Empa researchers were also involved, such as molecular biologist Peter Wick, who was part of the Health and Environment work package from the very beginning - and has just summarized the findings in this area with international colleagues in a comprehensive review article in the specialist journal ACS Nano. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology /articles/it-s-the-spin-that-makes-the-difference/?sc=rsin /articles/it-s-the-spin-that-makes-the-difference/?sc=rsin Tue, 20 Feb 2024 04:05:10 EST Biomolecules such as amino acids and sugars occur in two mirror-image forms - in all living organisms, however, only one is ever found. Why this is the case is still unclear. Researchers at Empa and Forschungszentrum Julich in Germany have now found evidence that the interplay between electric and magnetic fields could be at the origin of this phenomenon. Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology