Additive Machines Discover Superalloys
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoff- und Strahltechnik IWS
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Fraunhofer lighthouse project "futureAM" expected to speed up "additive manufacturing" by a factor ten. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden have developed innovative methods enabling more materials to be processed in additive manufacturing than ever before. For example, additive manufacturing systems could facilitate better future aircraft engines with lower fuel consumption.
New Test Rig Components for Faster Development and Validation
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Betriebsfestigkeit und Systemzuverlässigkeit LBF
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Numerical simulations have massively accelerated product development over the past few decades. A variety of scenarios can be tested in a short time and the number of necessary prototypes has been steadily reduced. Nevertheless, physical tests will not lose significance. Numerical models must be validated and approval testing must be carried out. In the project “Digitization in Testing Technology”, scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF have developed tunable test rig components and a mechanical hardware-in-the-loop approach. The Results will present at the Automotive Testing Expo in Stuttgart, May 21-23, 2019 in hall 8, booth 8052.
New Hybrid Semiconductor Material for Sustainable Hydrogen Production
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- Written by Technische Universität München
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Chemists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed an efficient water splitting catalyst as part of a collaborative international research effort. The catalyst comprises a double-helix semiconductor structure encased in carbon nitride. It is perfect for producing hydrogen economically and sustainably. An international team led by TUM chemist Tom Nilges and engineer Karthik Shankar from the University of Alberta have now found a stable yet flexible semiconductor structure that splits water much more efficiently than was previously possible.
Swiftly Switched Spins Stay Cool
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- Written by Universität Regensburg
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Using extremely short bursts of light, precisely shaped in a custom-cut gold antenna, an international research team from Germany, The Netherlands, Russia, and the US has switched the magnetization state of a solid faster and more efficiently than ever before. Their key achievement could pave the way towards a novel kind of nearly dissipation-free information technology. The results are published in the current issue of the top-tier journal Nature.
Application Offensive for Ultrafast Lasers in the kW Range
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Lasertechnik ILT
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Experts from 13 different Fraunhofer institutes are working on the development of multi-kW ultrafast lasers and various applications in the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Advanced Photon Sources CAPS. A user facility with application laboratories in Aachen and Jena is being created for this purpose, laboratories in which partners from industry and research can work with the new technology.
New Type of Highly Sensitive Vision Discovered in Deep-sea Fish
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- Written by Universität Basel
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The deep sea is home to fish species that can detect various wavelengths of light in near-total darkness. Unlike other vertebrates, they have several genes for the light-sensitive photopigment rhodopsin, which likely enables these fish to detect bioluminescent signals from light-emitting organs. The findings were published in the journal Science by an international team of researchers led by evolutionary biologists from the University of Basel.
Fusible and Printable Elastomer Sensors for e-textiles
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Silicatforschung ISC
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Integrating sensoric functions into textiles or elastomers is way more difficult than equipping machines because it requires movable or extensible sensors. The Center Smart Materials CeSMa of the Fraunhofer ISC with its experience in the field of adaptive elastomers has developed highly elastic sensors and actuators based on silicone. They provide a wide range of sensoric and actoric functions for smart electronic textiles (e-textiles) with a broad application potential in medical technology, in sports, in furniture, vehicles or in transport safety. CeSMa will be presenting its developments from May 14-17 at TechTextil 2019 in Frankfurt.
Marcus Regime in Organic Devices: Interfacial Charge Transfer Mechanism Verified
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- Written by Technische Universität Dresden
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Physicists from the Research Cluster Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed) of the TU Dresden, together with researchers from Spain, Belgium and Germany, were able to show in a study how electrons behave in their injection into organic semiconductor films. Simulations and experiments clearly identified different transport regimes. The study was published now in Nature Communications.
How to Generate a Brain of Correct Size and Composition
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- Written by Institute of Science and Technology Austria
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During brain development, stem cells generate neurons of different type and function at distinct points in time. IST Austria researchers contribute key experiment to identify essential protein controlling stem cell behavior. To build the neocortex, a brain area involved in higher cognitive functions, stem cells produce billions of neurons of various types. In a Science study, neuroscientists from Switzerland, Belgium, and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) have now shown that, over time, the neocortical stem cells go through various maturation states, each of them leading to a distinct neuron type. Production of the correct neuron type is bound to a specific protein complex.
Researchers Take a Step Towards Light-based, Brain-like Computing Chip
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- Written by Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
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Researchers from the Universities of Münster (Germany), Oxford and Exeter (both UK) have succeeded in developing a piece of hardware which could pave the way for creating computers which resemble the human brain. The scientists produced a chip containing a network of artificial neurons that works with light and can imitate the behaviour of neurons and their synapses. The network is able to “learn” information and use this as a basis for computing and recognizing patterns. As the system functions solely with light and not with electrons, it can process data many times faster than traditional systems. The study is published in “Nature”.
Laser Structuring at Triple the Productivity
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Lasertechnik ILT
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Car makers currently use a variety of methods to emboss plastic panels for vehicle interiors. However, manufacturing the tools required for this purpose is an extremely time-consuming process. This situation can be improved using a new laser machine that triples the rate at which these tools are produced while facilitating even more complex structures. The expertise required for the various components and processes was developed as part of the “eVerest“ project in collaboration with partners from research and industry.
Specialized Plant Cells Regain Stem-cell Features to Heal Wounds
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- Written by Institute of Science and Technology Austria
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Already specified root cells are reprogrammed to correctly replace dead neighbor cells in newly discovered process of “restorative patterning” | Study published in Cell
If plants are injured, cells adjacent to the wound fill the gaps with their daughter cells. However, which cells divide to do the healing and how they manage to produce cells that match the cell type of the missing tissue has been unclear. Scientists from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) have now shown that to correctly replace dead cells, neighbors to the inside of the wound re-activate their stem cell programs.
Quantum Sensor for Photons
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- Written by Universität Innsbruck
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A photodetector converts light into an electrical signal, causing the light to be lost. Researchers led by Tracy Northup at the University of Innsbruck have now built a quantum sensor that can measure light particles non-destructively. It can be used to further investigate the quantum properties of light. Physicist Tracy Northup is currently researching the development of quantum internet at the University of Innsbruck. The American citizen builds interfaces with which quantum information can be transferred from matter to light and vice versa. Over such interfaces, it is anticipated that quantum computers all over the world will be able to communicate with each other via fiber optic lines in the future.
Practical Test Passed: Shark Skin Varnish Increases the Electricity Yield of Wind Turbines
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
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Wind power is an important element to achieve sustainability in energy supply. Within the EU project "Riblet4Wind", a team of seven project partners faced the challenge of making the aerodynamics of wind turbines more efficient. One approach was to reduce air resistance. In aircraft construction, it was shown that the functional coating developed at Fraunhofer IFAM with microscopically small grooves – called riblet paint – reduces air resistance and saves fuel. The scientists took advantage of this know-how and adapted the technology to the rotor blades of a wind turbine. The tests under real conditions yielded promising results.
RadarGlass: Functional Thin-film Structures for Integrated Radar Sensors
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Lasertechnik ILT
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It is only an inconspicuous piece of paper, but it is an important milestone for autonomous driving: At the end of 2018 the three partners from the joint research project RadarGlass applied for a patent for an innovative radar system. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT from Aachen, the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP from Dresden and the Institute of High Frequency Technology IHF of RWTH Aachen University have developed a coating process chain that enables radar sensors to be integrated in car headlights. After almost two years in development they have manufactured a working prototype.
Decoupled Graphene Thanks to Potassium Bromide
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- Written by Universität Basel
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The use of potassium bromide in the production of graphene on a copper surface can lead to better results. When potassium bromide molecules arrange themselves between graphene and copper, it results in electronic decoupling. This alters the electrical properties of the graphene produced, bringing them closer to pure graphene, as reported by physicists from the universities of Basel, Modena and Munich in the journal ACS Nano.
