More Efficient Energy Harvesting With Magnets
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- Written by Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden
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Scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW) have developed a new magnetic generator to convert waste heat into electricity. A clever arrangement of the components has succeeded in improving the electrical yield by orders of magnitude. Thus thermomagnetic generators qualify for application-suitable technology for the energy harvesting of from waste heat. Many processes in everyday life and in industry generate waste heat that is not hot enough to be used effectively. As a rule, it is discharged into the environment unused, for example, in the case of large IT servers or at the exit of power plant cooling towers. To date, there are very few technologies available for the conversion of low temperature waste heat into electricity.
Adhesive Process Developed for Shingle Cell Technology
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE
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The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg has developed a special adhesive process to interconnect silicon solar cells for the industrial production of shingle modules. The market demand for shingle modules is rising rapidly due to their high efficiency and pleasing aesthetics. The cell stringer at Fraunhofer ISE is unique in Germany. It offers a wide range of possibilities for the prototype production of this highly efficient module.
Tandem Solar Cells – Record Efficiency for Silicon-based Multi-junction Solar Cell
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE
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Silicon solar cells dominate the photovoltaic market today but the technology approaches the theoretical maximum efficiency that can be achieved with silicon as the only absorber material. Tandem solar cells, on the other hand, combine several absorber materials, enabling a better energetic use of the solar irradiance spectrum. Due to their higher efficiency potential, tandem solar cells have a promising future. After intensive research, scientists at Fraunhofer ISE in cooperation with partners have achieved a new efficiency record of 22.3 percent for a multi-junction solar cell made of silicon and III-V semiconductor materials.
Proven in a Mouse Model: Faulty DNA Repair in Intestinal Stem Cells Leads to Cancer
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- Written by Exzellenzcluster Präzisionsmedizin für chronische Entzündungserkrankungen
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A study by the Cluster of Excellence "Inflammation at Interfaces" finds a new mechanism by which DNA repair protects the genome and prevents the development of bowel cancer. Cancer is caused by the body's own cells, which change and start growing out of control. With bowel cancer, this affects the cells of the intestinal mucosa. The starting point are mutations, i.e. changes in the genetic information (DNA) of the intestinal stem cells. Their task is to regularly renew the cells of the intestinal mucosa. Intestinal stem cells must retain their ability to divide for their entire lifetime, and are thus particularly susceptible to mutations.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2019!
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- Written by Team Nanobay
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The Nanobay team thanks everyone for the pleasant cooperation in 2018.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year!
Natural Nanofibres Made of Cellulose
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- Written by Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
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The seeds of some plants such as basil, watercress or plantain form a mucous envelope as soon as they come into contact with water. This cover consists of cellulose in particular, which is an important structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants, and swelling pectins, plant polysaccharides. In order to be able to investigate its physical properties, a research team from the Zoological Institute at Kiel University (CAU) used a special drying method, which gently removes the water from the cellulosic mucous sheath. The team discovered that this method can produce extremely strong nanofibres from natural cellulose. In future, they could be especially interesting for applications in biomedicine. The team’s results recently appeared as the cover story in the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces.
How Bacteria Turn off an Antibiotic
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- Written by Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung
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Many common antibiotics are increasingly losing their effectiveness against multi-resistant pathogens, which are becoming ever more prevalent. Bacteria use natural means to acquire mechanisms that protect them from harmful substances. For instance against the agent albicidin: Harmful Gram-negative bacteria possess a protein that binds and inactivates albicidin. The underlying resistance mechanism has been investigated at atomic resolution by scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the associated Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS).
Progress in Super-Resolution Microscopy
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- Written by Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
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Does expansion microscopy deliver true-to-life images of cellular structures? That was not sure yet. A new publication in "Nature Methods" shows for the first time that the method actually works reliably.
Immersing deeper and deeper into cells with the microscope. Imaging the nucleus and other structures more and more accurately. Getting the most detailed views of cellular multi-protein complexes. All of these are goals pursued by the microscopy expert Markus Sauer at the Biocenter of Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany. Together with researchers from Geneva and Lausanne in Switzerland, he has now shown that a hitherto doubted method of super-resolution microscopy is reliable.
Data Storage Using Individual Molecules
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- Written by Universität Basel
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Researchers from the University of Basel have reported a new method that allows the physical state of just a few atoms or molecules within a network to be controlled. It is based on the spontaneous self-organization of molecules into extensive networks with pores about one nanometer in size. In the journal ‘small’, the physicists reported on their investigations, which could be of particular importance for the development of new storage devices.
Copper Compound as Promising Quantum Computing Unit
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- Written by Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
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Quantum computers could vastly increase the capabilities of IT systems, bringing major changes worldwide. However, there is still a long way to go before such a device can actually be constructed, because it has not yet been possible to transfer existing molecular concepts into technologies in a practical way. This has not kept researchers around the world away from developing and optimising new ideas for individual components. Chemists at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena (Germany) have now synthesised a molecule that can perform the function of a computing unit in a quantum computer. They report on their work in the current issue of the research journal ‘Chemical Communications’.
New Method Gives Microscope a Boost in Resolution
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- Written by Rudolf-Virchow-Zentrum für Experimentelle Biomedizin der Universität Würzburg
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Scientists at the University of Würzburg have been able to boost current super-resolution microscopy by a novel tweak. They coated the glass cover slip as part of the sample carrier with tailor-made biocompatible nanosheets that create a "mirror effect". This method shows that localizing single emitters in front of a metal-dielectric coating leads to higher precision, brightness and contrast in Single Molecule Localization Microscopy (SMLM). The study was published in the Nature journal "Light: Science and Applications".
Neural Networks Let Microscopists See More
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- Written by Max-Planck-Institut für molekulare Zellbiologie und Genetik
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Modern microscopes can record many hours of 3D time-lapse movies of every cell as an organism develops. Just as for regular photography, fluorescence microscopy requires enough light to avoid dark and noisy images. However, the light necessary for such movies can easily reach levels that harm frequently studied model organisms such as worms, fish, and mice. To date, the only option to avoid this “ultimate sunburn” is to record shorter movies or reduce the amount of light used. As a consequence, many biologists are forced to work with very noisy images that are hard to interpret. Researchers around Florian Jug and Eugene W. Myers at the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD) and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), have now developed a content-aware image restoration method – CARE – that solves this dilemma.
A Sensor System Learns to "Hear": Reliable Detection of Failures in Machines and Systems
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Zerstörungsfreie Püfverfahren IZFP
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Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing IZFP in Saarbrücken have developed a sensor system that can detect failures or imperfections in systems and machines quickly and reliably by means of an acoustic noise assessment similar to human hearing. The "hearing" sensor system AcoustiX has already been successfully deployed by John Deere, the American global market leader in the fields of agricultural engineering, to inspect the cutting units of combine harvesters. In the event that large-scale machines or plants are already in operation, defects or defectively assembled components may result in malfunction of machines and thus in production shutdown and economic loss.
15-meter Roll-to-roll Device is World’s Longest OLED
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- Written by Fraunhofer-Institut für Organische Elektronik, Elektronenstrahl- und Plasmatechnik FEP
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Working within the framework of Lyteus, Holst Centre and Fraunhofer FEP step into the spotlight with the creation of the world’s longest single-device OLED. At a stunning 15 meters in length it opens the door to ‘endless OLEDs’ that manufacturers and designers can then easily tailor to their own needs. Lyteus brings together leaders in OLED technology from across Europe to create a pilot production line and product development services for OLED products. Working together, Holst Centre and Fraunhofer FEP successfully demonstrated the possibility for continuous production of OLEDs of any length. This both reduces the cost of production and enables “cut-to-fit” lighting for applications such as transportation, architecture and interior design.
Smart Medical Technology is Waiting in the Wings: COMPAMED 2018 Showed Marketable Innovations
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- Written by IVAM Fachverband für Mikrotechnik
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Highly innovative and highly international: The COMPAMED 2018 has again proven its position as the world's leading marketplace for medical technology processes and components. This year again around 20,000 trade visitors visited Halls 8a and 8b in search of smart high-tech components and ultra-precise manufacturing processes. The COMPAMED, which took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, co-located to the MEDICA medical technology trade fair from November 12-15, proved to be more international than ever before: this was true for the entire fair, which brought together exhibitors from 40 nations, as well as for the largest joint booth on-site, the Product Market by the IVAM Microtechnology Network: On more than 700 m², international exhibitors from 10 nations presented innovative products and services.
Thermoelectric Cooling Gets Fit for Micro Technology
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- Written by Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper- und Werkstoffforschung Dresden
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Scientists at Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW) have significantly improved the processing of thermoelectric devices so that they become quicker, more reliably and suitable for integration in microchips. This represents a decisive step towards the broad application of thermoelectric components in micro technology. Thermoelectric materials can convert heat into electricity or, vice versa, can be used as environmentally friendly cooling elements. In many processes in everyday life and in industry, energy losses occur in form of waste heat, which can be converted by thermoelectric generators into electrical energy. This also provides an additional power source in these systems.
