Aug 27, 2010 | The ecobalance of Li-ion rechargeable batteries for electric cars
Battery powered electric cars will most likely play a major role in future of mobility. What was not known so far, however, was how environmentally friendly the manufacture, operation and disposal of the rechargeable...
Aug 10, 2010 | EmpaNews 31 published
To fabricate ever smaller electronic components, new materials are in great demand – for example, ultra-thin layers of carbon known as graphene. As part of an international collaboration, Empa researchers are developing...
Aug 9, 2010 | Empa researchers discover why implant coatings detach – and a method to prevent it
Extra-hard coatings made from diamond-like carbon (DLC) extend the operating lifetime of tools and components. In artificial joints, however, these coatings often fail because they detach. Empa researchers found out why...
Jul 28, 2010 | More efficient photocells thanks to nanostructured surfaces
Empa researchers have succeeded in growing sea-urchin shaped nanostructures from minute balls of polystyrene beads using a simple electrochemical process. The spines of the sea urchin consist of zinc oxide nanowires. The...
27.07.2010 | «NachwuchsforscherInnen» im Empa-Sommercamp
Molekulares Kochen, Münzen verkupfern und «Mörtelhände» herstellen – dies waren nur einige der spannenden Versuche, die die Kinder der Empa-Mitarbeitenden während einer Woche zum Staunen brachten. Bereits zum siebten Mal...
Jul 21, 2010 | Materials for tomorrow's nano-electronics
In the recent issue of Nature, scientists from Empa and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research report how they have managed for the first time to grow graphene ribbons that are just a few nanometres wide using a...
Jul 20, 2010 | «Technology Briefing» at Empa
Thanks to nanoparticles, modern surface finishing products such as paints and varnishes are easier to use, last longer and offer effective substitutes for problematic biocides. The time is ripe to exploit these...
Jul 15, 2010 | «Nature Biotechnology» publishes the complete genome of Empa’s «violin fungus»
An international team including Empa researcher Francis Schwarze has sequenced the genome of the common split gill mushroom, Schizophyllum commune, a widely distributed fungus which grows on and decomposes wood. The...