A new type of laser-based immersion probe, which the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen is testing as part of BMBF- and EU-funded projects with industrial partners and users, could pave the way for continuous inline monitoring of water treatment processes in wastewater treatment plants. The 2D fluorescence measurement method generates spectroscopic data directly on site in the clarifier. In conjunction with intelligent evaluation software, this process is the key to energy- and resource-efficient water treatment. It will…
The optical industry almost completely relies on mechanical processes in its process chains. This, however, could soon change. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen is pushing ahead with digitally controlled laser processes that save both time and costs when aspheres and freeform optics are shaped, polished and their final shape is corrected. Fraunhofer ILT will be presenting the laser-based process chains of the future at the OPTATEC trade fair from May 14 to 16, 2024 in Frankfurt…
Tests on living cell cultures are becoming increasingly important for personalized medicine, drug development and clinical research. The Aachen-based Fraunhofer Institutes for Laser Technology ILT and for Production Technology IPT have developed an AI-assisted high-throughput process that now makes it possible to automatically isolate specific cell types. Using a so-called LIFTOSCOPE, laboratories can localize, identify and analyze dozens of living cells per second in order to transfer them to microtiter plates with laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT). At analytica 2024 in…
Lubricants for wire drawing based on polymers. Metals can be processed into wires by cold forming – an extremely complex process. However, the lubricants needed for this often do not meet the requirements of the end processors. As part of the KMU-innovativ project “Polyschmierung”, five partners from industry and research have developed a new class of polymer lubricants that make the process significantly more environmentally friendly and economical. They are already being used successfully by industry. The project was funded…
BMBF awards funding for junior research group at Friedrich Schiller University Jena to research photocatalytic production of green hydrogen. Hydrogen holds vast potential as a fuel, provided that it is produced using renewable energy. But just how efficiently can we produce green hydrogen in sufficient quantities? This issue is the focus of a research group headed up by Dr Jacob Schneidewind at the Center for Energy and Environmental Chemistry at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. Their SINATRA: SolSTEP project, which…
Bayreuth researchers combine hydrogels and fibres in a new technology. Prof. Dr Leonid Ionov and his team at the University of Bayreuth have developed a new type of 3D printing technology that combines hydrogels and fibres. The innovative process, combined in one device for the first time, enables the production of constructs with fibrous structures and uniaxial cell alignment. The research results, published in the journal “Advanced Healthcare Materials”, harbour potential for the artificial production of biological tissue. In the…
A new way of creating color uses the scattering of light of specific wavelengths around tiny, almost perfectly round silicon crystals. This Kobe University development enables non-fading structural colors that do not depend on the viewing angle and can be printed. The material has a low environmental and biological impact and can be applied extremely thinly, promising significant weight improvements over conventional paints. An object has color when light of a specific wavelength is reflected. With traditional pigments, this happens…
Tandem electrocatalytic-thermocatalytic conversion could help offset emissions of potent greenhouse gas by locking carbon away in a useful material. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University have developed a way to convert carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas, into carbon nanofibers, materials with a wide range of unique properties and many potential long-term uses. Their strategy uses tandem electrochemical and thermochemical reactions run at relatively low temperatures and ambient pressure. As the…
If we want to slow down global warming, we need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Among other things, we need to do without fossil fuels and use more energy-efficient technologies. However, reducing emissions alone won’t do enough to meet the climate targets. We must also capture large quantities of the greenhouse gas CO2 from the atmosphere and either store it permanently underground or use it as a carbon-neutral feed material in industry. Unfortunately, the carbon capture technologies available today…
Decisions on treatment for leukemia patients are based, among other things, on a series of certain genetic features of the disease. IT specialists and physicians at the University of Münster have now published a study showing how a method based on artificial intelligence can be used to predict various genetic features on the basis of high-resolution microscopic images of bone marrow smears. The results have been published in the journal “Blood Advances”. Decisions on treatment for patients with acute myeloid…
New process enhances sustainability of pig iron production. Researchers of KIT and Partners Demonstrate a Process that Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Conventional Steel Production. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the SMS group have developed a new process to reduce CO2 emission of worldwide steel production by several hundred million tons per year. It is based on modernizing blast furnace technology with moderate investments and has already been demonstrated successfully in a pilot plant. The researchers report…
Researchers from ICIQ describe a circular process to recycle polycarbonates, a specific polymer often used in plastic applications, using less chemicals and user-friendly conditions. A month ago, the European Union banned glitter. This action was englobed in a regulation with the aim of reducing 30% of the presence of microplastics in our environment. Waste plastics are a serious problem for our eco-systems and the push for recycling of plastics in general has gained significant attention as a potential solution. “Circular…
Screw Extention Additive Manufacturing (SEAM) makes it possible. With granulate-based plastic processes, it is now possible to design highly durable products and produce them economically, even in closed material cycles. Fraunhofer IWU demonstrates with a highly resilient shelf and a vehicle frame how individual shaping, low material costs, and high load-bearing capacity can add up to rather useful products (Formnext, November 7 – 11, 2023, Fraunhofer joint booth Hall 11 Stand D31). 3D-printed plastic shelves for battery electric police vehicles:…
Dr. Andreas Birk, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Constructor University in Bremen, and his Ph.D. fellow, Tim Hansen, have developed an innovative method for processing sensor data that enables the creation of underwater maps in real time and with better quality than previous methods. Accurate underwater map data is typically collected with sonars that use multiple beams in parallel. With the method developed by Constructor University scientists, it is possible to use simple and much less costly…
Honored with Georg Waeber Innovation Award 2023. A team from Rigaku SE and Fraunhofer IISB has established a new semiconductor material characterization method. They succeeded in developing an industry-ready X-ray topography system and in employing defect detection and quantification algorithms, achieving a unique material characterization method for silicon carbide (SiC) wafers. SiC is an excellent semiconductor for application areas like electric mobility, energy supply, industrial infrastructure up to sensors and quantum technologies. Now, Dr. Kranert and Dr. Reimann from Fraunhofer…
The use of biomass for the bioeconomy has so far focused primarily on sugar- or starch-based raw materials, which are associated with high environmental costs in terms of land use and energy and resource consumption. Against this background, the aim of the “CAFIPLA” research project with the participation of the DBFZ was to use at least 80 per cent biogenic waste from households as mixed input biomass for the production of platform chemicals and for fibre recovery. To this end,…
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