Press releases
Fraunhofer Nanotechnology Network

Making matter talk with "smart rust" - European excellence funding for Fraunhofer ISC scientists

Fraunhofer ISC / Press Release / November 24, 2023

European Research Council (ERC)
© ERC

Materials are actually "silent". Although temperature, moisture, chemical influences or mechanical stress leave their mark and have an effect on their strength and service life, they can hardly tell us anything about their history of use. Knowing more about the history of such influences could therefore make a decisive contribution to product quality. However, there is still no solution for making materials talk about their history. The "SmartRust" research project now aims to change this.

 

Press Release ISC

Environmentally friendly microcapsules made from biopolymers

Fraunhofer IAP / Press Release / October 11, 2023

Environmentally friendly microcapsules made from biopolymers
© Fraunhofer IAP

Biopolymers as shells for microcapsules will be the focus of a workshop on November 16, 2023, at the Fraunhofer Conference Center at the Potsdam Science Park. Biodegradable polymers and natural materials ensure manufacturers and users of microcapsules get their products approved under the EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). Experts from the Fraunhofer Technology Platform Microencapsulation will discuss how to apply natural raw materials to manufacture environmentally friendly microcapsules. The network concentrates current findings and identifies new opportunities for the use of microcapsules.

 

Press Release IAP

Hydrogen Innovation: Fraunhofer IFAM and Sunfire launch project to scale AEM technology for industry applications

Fraunhofer IFAM / Press Release / April 18, 2023

Coating membranes in the electrolysis lab
© Fraunhofer IFAM
Clemens Kubeil prepares a membrane for coating at Fraunhofer IFAM’s electrolysis laboratory.

Research and industry have recognized the potential of alkaline AEM electrolysis and expect a fast technology development during the next decade. Fraunhofer IFAM and sunfire, together with Canadian materials partner Ionomr Innovations, are now launching the "Integrate" research project to apply the promising technology on an industrial scale.

 

Press Release IFAM

Reducing batteries’ environmental footprint – RecyLIB project aims to save resources and energy

Fraunhofer ISC / Press Release / January 24, 2023

RecyLIB pouch cells
© Fraunhofer ISC
RecyLIB battery cells – alternative processing for direct reuse of recycled battery materials.

Electromobility continues to gain momentum. Accelerated by high fuel prices, more and more buyers are switching to hybrid or pure electric vehicles, as shown by the latest statistics of new registrations. As the number of traction batteries increases, the question of environmentally friendly manufacturing and recycling processes is also becoming louder. One key aspect is the function-preserving recycling of lithium-ion batteries. The "RecyLIB" project launched in 2022 - funded via ERA-MIN by the European Union and national funding organizations - aims to set an example with new processes for battery electrode production, direct recycling and integrated functional material cycles.

 

Press Release ISC

Fraunhofer ENAS demonstrates robot-assisted inkjet printing on 3D components and printing processes for the production of fuel cell components at the digital LOPEC 2021

Fraunhofer ENAS; Press release / March 22, 2021

Robot-assisted inkjet printing on 3D components at Fraunhofer ENAS
© Biermann & Jung
Robot-assisted inkjet printing on 3D components at Fraunhofer ENAS

The Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS participates in the digital LOPEC 2021 from March 23-25, 2021. The trade show and conference is the most important global meeting point for the printed electronics industry. Fraunhofer ENAS will present inkjet printing technology for 3D components as robot-assisted processes as well as printed components for fuel cells.

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Fraunhofer ENAS at LOPEC 2021

Development of novel protective coatings to ensure the reliability of electronic components

Fraunhofer IFAM; Press release / March 25, 2021

Selective nanocoating using atmospheric pressure plasma to protect electronic components from corrosion
© Fraunhofer IFAM / Dirk Mahler
Selective nanocoating using atmospheric pressure plasma to protect electronic components from corrosion

Selective nanocoating using atmospheric pressure plasma to protect electronic components from corrosion

In the ECSEL JU project "Intelligent Reliability 4.0" (iRel40), 75 partners from 13 countries are working on a holistic approach to ensure the reliability of electronic components and systems (ECS) under the leadership of Infineon Technologies AG.

In the course of miniaturization and with the development of modern products, more and more functions have to be integrated into smaller space. In accordance with this trend, the demands on electronic components and systems are increasing enormously. Maximum reliability is required throughout the entire life cycle. This is an elementary requirement for advancing and enabling new technologies in safety-relevant applications. As corrosion damage can lead to failures, Fraunhofer IFAM addresses one key aspect for a longer life cycle: within the "Intelligent Reliability 4.0" project, the institute develops novel protective coatings for microelectronic components to ensure their necessary reliability.

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BMBF Junior Research Group at Fraunhofer IMM - Dr. Regina Bleul is researching a (r) evolution in cancer therapy

Fraunhofer IMM; Press release / February 04, 2021

Fraunhofer IMM
© Fraunhofer IMM

Dr. Regina Bleul is researching a (r) evolution in cancer therapy.

The project "BioTherNa - Biomimetic thermoresponsive nanomaterials for more effective cancer therapies" was selected as part of the NanoMatFutur junior competition. With funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the biotechnologist and chemist Dr. Regina Bleul had the chance to explore new ways of advancing cancer therapy with her junior research group over a period of 5 years. The aim is to make the delivery of active substances to cancer cells safer and more targeted and to achieve a controllable release of active substances in the tumor tissue.

Today, roughly one in four people in Germany dies of complications from cancer. Due to demographic change, a further increase in these deaths can hardly be avoided without innovative therapeutic approaches. In the so-called first-line therapies, classical chemotherapy is still in the foreground, even though the patients with a serious underlying disease often also suffer from severe side effects of the therapy. Due to the premature release and limited specificity of the mostly highly toxic active ingredients, this is currently unavoidable. Therefore, innovative approaches and procedures are desperately sought, which allow appropriate therapeutics to be brought safely to the desired location and released there in a targeted manner.

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New study predicts increased market penetration for graphene-based applications by 2025

Fraunhofer ISI; Press release / January 25, 2021

Screenshot of the graphen short video
© Fraunhofer ISI
Screenshot of the graphen short video

New study predicts increased market penetration for graphene-based applications by 2025.

The development of efficient and gentle methods for the diagnosis of breast cancer based on blood is the focus of the new Graphene Flagship experts from Fraunhofer ISI identify key opportunities in graphene commercialisation after a comprehensive three-year analysis of production methods and potential applications. The results are summarised in two new publications.

What happened to the promised applications of graphene and related materials? Thanks to initiatives like the European Union’s Graphene Flagship and heavy investments by leading industries, graphene manufacturing is mature enough to produce prototypes and some real-life niche applications. Now, researchers at Graphene Flagship partner The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in Karlsruhe, Germany, have published two papers that roadmap the expected future mass introduction of graphene and related materials in the market.

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Breast cancer diagnosis in real time

Fraunhofer IAP expands expertise with new research group; Press release / August 17, 2020

Since July 1, 2020, Dr. Neus Feliu Torres has been head of the new working group "Nanocellular Interactions" at the Fraunhofer IAP site CAN in Hamburg.
© private
Since July 1, 2020, Dr. Neus Feliu Torres has been head of the new working group "Nanocellular Interactions" at the Fraunhofer IAP site CAN in Hamburg.

Breast cancer diagnosis in real time.

The development of efficient and gentle methods for the diagnosis of breast cancer based on blood is the focus of the new "Nanocellular Interactions" working group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP. The group has been headed by Dr. Neus Feliu Torres at the CAN site in Hamburg since July 1, 2020. She is one of five "high potentials" that Fraunhofer was able to attract in 2019 with its "Attract" program. Using the "Liquid Biopsy" process, which she intends to develop in the LIBIMEDOTS project, it should be possible to monitor the status and course of breast cancer patients' disease in real time.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed tumor in women. Conventionally, the diagnosis is made by biopsy to clarify whether a suspicious lump is a harmless or pathological tissue alteration. The doctor removes small pieces of tissue, which are then examined in the laboratory. The result is available after about four to five days. Tissue biopsies are therefore time-consuming and do not provide real-time information on the status and course of the disease. They are also invasive, costly, painful, and can also be risky.

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Let’s rethink plastic!

Press release in the framework of the EU project / June 09, 2020

FlexFunction2Sustain – Open Innovation Test Bed launched on 1st April to boost innovations for sustainable plastic and paper products to reach the market faster.
© Fraunhofer FEP, Photographer: Jan Hosan
FlexFunction2Sustain – Open Innovation Test Bed launched on 1st April to boost innovations for sustainable plastic and paper products to reach the market faster.

On April 1st, the EU-funded initiative FlexFunction2Sustain was launched.

The project, financed by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, will support Plastics and Paper Processing Industry in overcoming environmental challenges while entering the digital age. 19 European partners, including Fraunhofer Institutes FEP, IAP and IVV, unify their competencies, practical and business development expertise and technical infrastructure to provide a wide access to innovative solutions through a sustainable open innovation ecosystem. This Open Innovation Test Bed for nano-functionalized plastic and paper surfaces and membranes will support innovative SMEs and industries by drastically reducing the time-to-market for novel concepts, ideas and products.

Nano-functionalisation for smart and sustainable plastic surfaces

Plastic and paper based materials are used in a wide range of daily life products. Applications represent well established multi-billion Euro markets (e. g. food and pharma packaging, furniture surfaces, membrane-based filter systems, medical products etc.). New business opportunities will arise from replacing glass and metal by nano-functionalized plastic or paper surfaces in many products. That allows the reduction in weight and cost and gains in mechanical flexibility together with additional properties. Such properties include e. g. the blocking of water and oxygen permeation, surface conductivity, antimicrobial and anti-viral properties or chemical and corrosion resistance. State-of-the-art solutions often rely on composite or multi-layer materials. Such composites, however, have a major drawback with respect to their environmental footprint: they are neither fully recyclable nor compostable/degradable. Further, most plastic products are synthesized from mineral oil instead of renewable resources.

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