Dec 20, 2023 | Empa Zukunftsfonds
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer lamellas are an innovative method of reinforcing buildings. There are still many unanswered questions regarding their recycling, however. A research project by Empa's Mechanical Systems...
Dec 19, 2023 | Empa Quarterly: New research initiative Mining the Atmosphere
If we want to achieve our climate goals and prevent irreversible changes to the Earth's climate system, we not only need to curb our greenhouse gas emissions, but also remove excess man-made CO2 from the atmosphere. This...
Dec 14, 2023 | Open innovation between research and industry
In late November, researchers from Switzerland and abroad convened at Empa with experts from the pharmaceutical company CSL Vifor for a joint workshop on nanomedicines. The aim of this scientific exchange, which has been...
Dec 11, 2023 | Launch of reFuel.ch
The aim of the reFuel.ch consortium is to develop robust supply paths for sustainable fuels and base chemicals for Switzerland. The consortium is funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) as part of the SWEET...
Dec 8, 2023 | Inductive charging for electric vehicles
Eight stakeholders from business, science and the public sector launched the first project for wireless charging of electric vehicles in Switzerland at the end of November 2023. The project team is investigating the...
Dec 6, 2023 | Portrait Yaroslav Romanyuk
Yaroslav Romanyuk has been working at Empa for around 15 years on complex thin-film technologies for solar cells, printed circuits, novel solid-state batteries and other applications. Since the beginning of July, he is...
Dec 4, 2023 | Perovskite nanocrystals
Researchers from ETH Zurich, Empa and Stanford University have taken snapshots of the crystal structure of perovskite nanocrystals as it was deformed by excited electrons. To their surprise, the deformation straightened...
Nov 30, 2023 | MUNICIPAL network hosted by Empa
Under the motto "Idea generation and co-creation processes to promote technology transfer", around 60 participants from research, business, cantons and municipalities discussed innovative approaches to the energy...
Nov 29, 2023 | LISA: Innosuisse funding for battery research
Empa will collaborate with Battery Consult AG, a research and development company specializing in salt battery technology, and the Swiss Innovation Park Biel/Bienne (SIPBB) in the LISA project (Laser Joining of...
Nov 28, 2023 | Antimicrobial hospital curtains
Hospital germs and pathogens are not always transmitted directly from person to person. They can also spread via germ-contaminated surfaces and objects. Empa researchers, together with the chemical company BASF, Spiez...
Nov 27, 2023 | EU project REFORMERS launched
In late November, the pan-European REFORMERS research project, funded for five years under the EU's Horizon Europe program, was officially kicked-off in Bruxelles. The project focuses on the development, realization and...
Nov 23, 2023 | Public health protection
The Federal Commission for Air Hygiene has assessed the revised guideline values issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021 and their significance for Switzerland's Air Pollution Control Ordinance. The...
Nov 21, 2023 | Medical technology
Knee operations on the meniscus cartilage are a frequent procedure on a particularly complex part of the human body. Empa researchers want to provide an improved basis for clinicians in order to reduce the risks of the...
Nov 20, 2023 | Empa/ETH Zurich scientists awarded
The Latsis Prize of ETH Zurich goes to Inge Herrmann, the Lopez-Loreta Prize to Alexandre Anthis. The two scientists have been working together at Empa and ETH Zurich for five years, developing new materials and...
Nov 16, 2023 | Highly Cited Researchers 2023
The two Empa scientists Maksym Kovalenko and Zhanyun Wang are among the world's most frequently cited researchers in their fields. Their influential work has netted them an entry on the list of "Highly Cited...
Nov 16, 2023 | Inauguration of Ingenuity Lab at Balgrist University Hospital
Balgrist University Hospital and the University of Zurich have appointed Inge Herrmann, a leading expert in the field of medical technology, to their academic team. She was previously a professor at ETH Zurich and Empa,...
Nov 14, 2023 | Water-based flow batteries
Non-toxic and scalable water-based flow batteries would be a good solution for storing renewable energy in urban areas – if it weren't for their very low energy density. Empa researcher David Reber wants to remedy the...
Nov 10, 2023 | Opening of the Dynamic Imaging Center at sitem-insel
Today, the Dynamic Imaging Center at sitem-insel, the Swiss Institute for Translational Medicine and Entrepreneurship, opened its doors. Here, for the first time, X-ray images of a moving person can be taken...
Nov 9, 2023 | Empa Zukunftsfonds
As an innovative developer of surgical tools, Heinz A. Oertli founded the company "Oertli Instrumente" at a young age. He knows from own experience how great ideas flourish on a small scale and grow into sustainable...
Nov 7, 2023 | Battery materials
The Empa research group led by Maksym Kovalenko is researching innovative materials for the batteries of tomorrow. Whether it's fast-charging electric cars or low-cost stationary storage, there's a promising material or...
Nov 2, 2023 | Improved wound healing thanks to probiotics
Empa researchers are developing a dressing containing probiotic lactobacilli. These are intended to heal chronically infected wounds by destroying persistent biofilms, the scientists report in a study published in the...
Oct 26, 2023 | PHRT projects to improve healthcare in surgery and cancer treatment
Following a selection process by an international review panel, the Executive Committee of the ETH Board's Strategic Focus Area Personalized Health and Related Technologies (PHRT) has chosen to fund three projects from...
Oct 24, 2023 | Battery recycling
Empa and Kyburz Switzerland AG are looking for ways to recycle end-of-life lithium-ion batteries in an efficient and resource-saving way. A specially developed experimental facility breaks down the old batteries into...
Oct 19, 2023 | Developing market-ready solutions through cooperation
Construction is underway, once again, at the research and innovation building NEST. The new unit goes by the name of STEP2. Over the past three years, project partners from various disciplines have developed innovations...
Oct 17, 2023 | Mining the atmosphere
To prevent irreversible and damaging changes to the Earth's climate system, we need to remove excess (man-made) CO2 from the atmosphere. This is the goal of a large-scale research initiative at Empa: Mining the...
Oct 12, 2023 | Climate-friendly construction
After their production, which emits a lot of carbon dioxide, cement-based building materials such as concrete absorb the climate gas again – a process that takes decades and can hardly be controlled. What if it could be...
Oct 5, 2023 | Sustainable construction
Environmentally friendly, ubiquitously available and recyclable: Clay is a clean alternative among building materials. Empa researcher Ellina Bernard is trying to find out how the coveted material can actually be used to...
Oct 4, 2023 | Success for Empa spin-off
As of today, the Empa spin-off MIRO Analytical AG is part of the Bruker Corporation. The spin-off was founded in 2018 by Empa researchers Morten Hundt and Oleg Aseev and develops analytical instruments for measuring...
Sep 28, 2023 | A strategic partnership – thanks to NEST
Stahlton Bauteile AG and zirkulit AG have formed a strategic partnership – initiated by their collaboration in the latest NEST unit, STEP2. The goal is to jointly realize recyclable concrete buildings.
Sep 26, 2023 | Hazardous ingredients in batteries
Although strict limits exist, old types of batteries can still contain too many hazardous ingredients such as mercury, cadmium and lead. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has therefore launched a control...
Sep 25, 2023 | New professorships
On 21 September 2023, the ETH Board appointed three Empa researchers to professors: Corsin Battaglia, head of Empa's Materials for Energy Conversion lab, and Mirko Kovac, currently professor at Imperial College London...
Sep 22, 2023 | SATW Technology Outlook 2023
The new Technology Outlook of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) showcases the most important findings of numerous Swiss experts from science and industry for a prosperous future. In the areas of Energy and...
Sep 21, 2023 | SILVARSTAR sound simulation against railroad noise
At Empa, acoustics experts have been investigating for years how noise is generated by passenger and cargo trains – and which technical and structural measures are particularly effective to prevent or at least reduce it....
Sep 19, 2023 | Energy storage
Converting electricity into hydrogen in order to store sustainable energy over a longer period is a hot topic. With the expertise and the tools of Empa researchers, a master's student at ETH Zurich has investigated...
Sep 14, 2023 | Meet Aurora, the battery robot
Empa researchers want to accelerate the development of urgently needed new energy storage systems with the help of the Aurora battery robot. The Aurora project is part of the European research initiative Battery2030+,...
Sep 13, 2023 | Battery 2030+
Under Horizon Europe, the EU's research program, over €150 million funding has been awarded to cutting-edge projects coordinated by Battery 2030+, an initiative for developing advanced green battery technologies. This...
Sep 12, 2023 | Circular economy
When the children’s creativity meets scientific expertise, new ideas are born – for example, about what the sustainable world of tomorrow might look like. Together with school children and the St. Gallen University of...
Sep 7, 2023 | Sustainability: Back to the street
Switzerland is built, at least as far as the road network is concerned. Therefore – and despite recycling –, significantly more reclaimed asphalt is generated today than can be reused in new roads. Empa researcher...
Sep 4, 2023 | Research institutes of the ETH Domain strengthen cooperation in strategic areas
Energy transition, climate change, biodiversity and resource scarcity – today's challenges are complex, and the clock is ticking. So joining forces and working together ever more closely is the name of the game these...
Aug 31, 2023 | Innovative hydrogel
Biophysicist Katharina Hast is developing a hydrogel at Empa in St. Gallen that makes the body's own phagocytes fit for treating cancer or chronic wounds. The Uniscientia Foundation in Vaduz is funding the project, which...
Aug 29, 2023 | Empa spin-off BTRY
The Empa spin-off BTRY wants to revolutionize rechargeable batteries: Their thin-film batteries are not only safer and longer-lasting than conventional lithium-ion batteries, they are also much more environmentally...
Aug 24, 2023 | Empa Sommercamp 2023
Zu Beginn des Sommer 2023 durften 21 Kinder am traditionellen Empa Sommercamp teilnehmen. In verschiedenen Workshops erlebten die Kinder einen Einblick in die Welt der Ingenieure und Materialforscherinnen. Dabei kam der...
Aug 22, 2023 | Co-lead: René Rossi and Manfred Heuberger
Empa's research department Materials meet Life will in future be managed in the form of a co-lead: René Rossi and Manfred Heuberger will jointly head the department and will represent the department as co-heads in Empa's...
Aug 22, 2023 | Recycling the non-recyclable
Empa researchers have developed an epoxy resin that can be repaired and recycled, in addition to being flame-retardant and mechanically strong. Potential applications range from coating for wooden flooring to composites...
Aug 17, 2023 | Switzerland hosts major events on the governance of mineral and metal resources
Climate change discussions often overlook the central role played by the excessive extraction and use of natural resources. The topic, however, will be the central focus of two events being hosted back-to-back in Geneva...
Aug 16, 2023 | Accelerating research
The shortage of skilled workers is particularly pronounced in technical professions. Empa supports and promotes talented individuals at all levels, be it during their apprenticeship, studies, academic career or when...
Aug 15, 2023 | Researchers contact single graphene nanoribbons
Graphene nanoribbons have outstanding properties that can be precisely controlled. Researchers from Empa and ETH Zurich, in collaboration with partners from Peking University, the University of Warwick and the Max Planck...
Aug 10, 2023 | Call for proposals “Sustainable Fuels and Platform Chemicals”
A decision has been made on the call for proposals “Sustainable Fuels and Platform Chemicals”: The reFuel.ch consortium led by Empa will receive project funding.
Aug 8, 2023 | Dorina Opris
At Empa, Dorina Opris is researching how to synthesize complex electroactive polymers for robotic components, sensors or batteries – a promising project that the European Research Council (ERC) is currently funding with...
Aug 3, 2023 | Aerial robotics
The SailMAV drone can fly and sail on water due to its foldable wings. Its special design also allows it to record wildlife behavior, as animals do not perceive the drone as a hostile intruder.
Jul 27, 2023 | International Chemistry Olympiad
Mentors of the 55th International Chemistry Olympiad paid a visit to Empa and Eawag and got to know the two research institutes in lab tours and lectures.
Jul 25, 2023 | Quantum technology
Bruno Schuler and his young team are embarking on an ambitious research project: He will selectively generate defects in atomically-thin semiconductor layers and attempt to measure and control their quantum properties...
Jul 20, 2023 | New EU policy measures based on Empa research
New vehicles are responsible for around ten percent of plastic demand in the EU, and the automotive sector is the number one consumer of raw materials like aluminum, magnesium, platinum group metals, and rare earth...
Jul 13, 2023 | Building for the future
The future Empa and Eawag campus is set to become an inspiring space for new ideas and innovation, also with a view to environmentally and climate-friendly construction of the future. The buildings and facilities are...
Jul 10, 2023 | Global regulations disregarded
Researchers from Switzerland and China have studied the global trade in highly hazardous chemicals subject to a global treaty – the Rotterdam Convention. The results are sobering: Nearly half of the total trade volume of...
Jul 7, 2023 | Biosensorik und Monitoring
Die ETH Zürich, die Empa, das Kantonsspital St.Gallen (KSSG), die Universität St.Gallen (HSG) sowie der Kanton St.Gallen planen bis zum Jahr 2025 die Errichtung einer gemeinsamen Professur der ETH Zürich und der Empa in...
Jul 6, 2023 | Empa research campus co-operate
The new co-operate research campus of Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf is nearing completion. To mark the opening next year, a new work of art is to give the campus its "face". Lausanne-based artist Julian Charrière won the...
Jul 4, 2023 | Bio-display
Is it possible to 3D print biodegradable sensors and displays? Researchers from Empa's Cellulose & Wood Materials laboratory have developed a cellulose-based material that allows just that. The mixture of hydroxpropyl...
Jul 3, 2023 | Lasers and LEDs in the nanometer range
An international team of researchers led by ETH Zurich and with the participation of Empa has created an antenna for light sources on a chip using an unusual placement of a semiconductor material. In the future,...
Jun 27, 2023 | Launch of Circular Building Charta
When twelve of the biggest builders in Switzerland commit themselves to circular economy, it has an effect. Today, too many raw materials are still irretrievably lost in construction. If fewer non-renewable raw materials...