In brief
News from the lab
Young researcher sheds light on quantum molecules
Empa researcher Eve Ammerman wants to bring quantum technologies one step closer to application by combining quantum effects with light. This should enable future quantum-based devices to communicate better with existing technologies.
Her research project is now being supported with a two-year Empa Young Scientist Fellowship. The physicist has been working in Empa's nanotech@surfaces laboratory led by Roman Fasel for the last two years.
Netto Zero in the Graubünden Rhine Valley
How can decarbonization be implemented cost-effectively in the Graubünden Rhine Valley? The canton of Graubünden, the energy suppliers and leading industrial companies in the Graubünden Rhine Valley have investigated this question together with Empa using innovative modeling techniques. The results confirm the assessments of the Economic Forum: Decarbonization is technically feasible and economically interesting. The Empa study provides concrete technical implementation steps and serves as a model example that can also be transferred to other regions.
Two Empa researchers honored as "influencers"
The Empa scientists Maksym Kovalenko and Zhanyun Wang are among the world's most frequently cited researchers in their fields. Their influential work has earned them a place on the list of "Highly Cited Researchers".
“Highly Cited Researchers” are researchers who have exerted a significant and far-reaching influence on their field of research in the last ten years through numerous highly cited publications. Every year, the analytics company Clarivate compiles a list of scientists whose publications have been most frequently cited. They are considered to be particularly influential in their fields. Only the authors of the one percent of the most highly cited scientific papers in various disciplines are awarded the title of "Highly Cited Researcher". This year, two Empa scientists are among the 6886 researchers featured on the list: Maksym Kovalenko and Zhanyun Wang.
Read more.
Award for innovation against surgical complications
The Empa Innovation Award recognizes outstanding projects bridging the gap between the laboratory and industry. This year, a team from Empa and ETH Zurich led by Alexander Jessernig, Alexandre Anthis and Inge Herrmann was honored for their SensAL technology. SensAL warns quickly and precisely of life-threatening complications after abdominal surgery. The principle is cost-effective, convincingly simple and easy to integrate into everyday clinical practice, which also impressed the jury. Shortly after the prize was awarded, SensAL was also honored at the Falling Walls Switzerland science event.
Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2024 goes to Inge Herrmann
Empa researcher Inge Herrmann was awarded the Global Women's Impact Award and the Science Breakthrough of the Year 2024 in the Women's Impact category by the Falling Walls Foundation. Herrmann presented her research in November on the Falling Walls Main Stage and as part of the Kavli Dialog. In addition, Alexander Jessernig, a doctoral student in Herrmann's team and winner of Falling Walls Switzerland, presented his sensor for the early detection of post-operative bowel leaks. Inge Herrmann heads a research group in Empa's Particles-Biology Interactions laboratory and the Ingenuity Lab at the University of Zurich and Balgrist University Hospital. She is also an accredited professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zurich. In one of her research projects, her team has developed a reversible hydrogel implant that could be used to prevent the widespread female disease endometriosis and at the same time act as contraceptive.
A look behind the scenes: Become a Friend of Empa
Empa wants to further expand its dialog with the interested public. To this end, it has launched a new initiative called Friends of Empa. The aim of the initiative is to create a community of people who are interested in Empa and its research. Friends have access to exclusive events, lectures and lab tours. In this way, they learn first-hand from the researchers what they are currently working on and get a look behind the scenes, which is hardly possible in normal circumstances. The community is open to everyone. Empa is looking forward to welcoming many Friends to its campuses in the coming years. Would you also like to be a Friend of Empa? Register at: https://www.empa.ch/web/friends/anmeldung
Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship for tomorrow's start-ups
Empa's promotion of its start-ups has received a boost through the Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship. 2024 marks the third time this fellowship was awarded to young researchers who want to turn applications-oriented research into innovative products or services. Three winners have been selected this year: Oscar Cipolato is pushing forward laser tissue soldering with robots, Federica Bellizio is developing a platform for energy suppliers, and David Häusermann is researching drones to help firefighters and industrial inspectors.
Robotics innovations for a sustainable future
Construction work on the latest NEST unit, the DroneHub, started in early July. The open-air laboratory will serve as a bridge between the built and the natural environment. Here, the international team led by Mirko Kovac wants to investigate the extent to which drones and other autonomous robots can be used in building inspection, maintenance and repair. They also want to develop a diverse portfolio of robots and drones to collect environmental data in forests and wetlands. The DroneHub will go into operation in November 2024.
Matthias Sulzer new Department Head
Energy and building technology expert Matthias Sulzer will take over as Head of Empa's Engineering Sciences department as of January 1, 2025. He succeeds Peter Richner, who will retire at the end of March 2025. Sulzer will also take over the co-lead of Empa's Research Focus Area Built Environment and the scientific management of NEST. Currently, he is a senior scientist at Empa's Urban Energy System lab and lectures at ETH Zurich. He also holds a visiting faculty appointment at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the US.
Aerogel Architecture Award 2024
On July 12, the Aerogel Architecture Award was presented for the fourth time on the Empa campus in Dübendorf. A total of six projects were awarded in two categories, Realized Solutions and Student Projects. They all demonstrate innovative applications of aerogel materials in architecture and construction projects that enable major savings in terms of heat loss and energy consumption mitigation through minimal intervention in the building fabric and appearance. The winners are a renovated social housing building from Italy and a student project from Brazil.
30 years of Empa in Thun
On January 1, 1994, Empa opened its Materials Technology lab at the new site in Thun. Almost 30 employees from the former Materials and Testing Technology section of the Group for Armaments Services (GRD) moved from the Federal Military Department to Empa and thus to a civilian employer. Recently, the Thun campus celebrated its 30th anniversary. In the last 30 years, Empa's Thun campus has developed into an internationally renowned center for materials technology with a unique research infrastructure. Currently, around 90 people work here in two research labs, Advanced Materials Processing and Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures.
Empa data for the SRF Climate Monitor
"On the pulse of the planet – daily facts and figures on climate" is how the Swiss Radio and Television SRF website advertises its Climate Monitor. Some of the data published online, namely the CO2 concentrations measured on Jungfraujoch, are supplied by researchers from Empa's Air Pollutants/Environmental Technology laboratory. The data is collected as part of the National Air Pollution Monitoring Network (NABEL) and the European research infrastructure Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) at the research station on the Jungfraujoch.
Air-Pollution-Environmental-Technology
High-tech system for intricate metal structures
Intricate bridges, lightweight beams and supports made of metal: A new system makes all this possible. The Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology combines robotic 3D-printing and arc welding in order to melt and deposit metal wires layer by layer, orchestrated by robot-controlled precision. Using its own WAAM system, Empa researches the load-bearing capacity and fatigue behavior of WAAM components and explores innovative applications previously thought impossible, such as component reuse and multi-metal components.
Research for kids: What ice can tell us about the climate
Ice cores are a unique climate archive. Empa researchers from the Air Pollutants / Environmental Technology laboratory are working on methods to accurately determine greenhouse gas concentrations in such frozen samples. For this purpose, they have even been to Antarctica. During one such expedition, Bernhard Bereiter, then a postdoctoral researcher at Empa, photographed an ice core in sunlight. Now, his picture adorns the cover of the book, Frozen in Time, by American author Carmella Van Vleet, which uses ice cores to teach schoolchildren about climate research.
Air-Pollution-Environmental-Technology
'Frozen in Time' von 'Carmella Van Vleet' - eBook (orellfuessli.ch)
Better calibration for faster diagnostics
DNA sequencing and fluorescence microscopy are important procedures in medicine and research. They can be used to accurately diagnose diseases, to screen cells and genes and to develop personalized therapies. However, the highly sensitive devices required for this only work reliably if they are precisely adjusted and calibrated. Empa researchers from the Surface Science & Coating Technologies laboratory, in collaboration with the company IMT AG from Greifensee, have developed special calibration targets for DNA sequencers and fluorescence microscopes, which allow the systems to work more quickly and reliably.
Surface-Science-and-Coating-Technologies Laboratory
Save the Date: Open Lab Day at Empa in Dübendorf
On Saturday, 14 September 2024, Empa opens its doors for an Open Lab Day in Dübendorf. Visitors can get to know the new Empa and Eawag campus, co-operate, and immerse themselves in the world of materials science and technology at Empa. There will be numerous booths, demonstrators and lectures for young and old on the topics of climate change, energy transition, dwindling resources, fascinating materials and healthy life in a healthy environment. Visitors will also gain an insights into the demonstrators NEST, move, ehub and WaterHub, and learn more about apprenticeships at Empa. Interested? Find out more about the event online and in the next issue of Empa Quarterly. More information: Openday
A dynamic understanding of back pain
Musculoskeletal disorders are the second most common cause of disability worldwide. In order to provide early and effective treatment, we need to better understand the interplay between complex biochemical processes and the body's biomechanics. The pain often only occurs when patients are in motion – and yet, the diagnosis is mainly made using static images. An Empa team wants to change this in a newly launched two-year project involving scientists from the Mechanical Systems Engineering laboratory, the Center for X-ray Analytics and Scientific IT, as well as clinical partners at Inselspital Bern. The aim is to improve the diagnosis of a painful degenerative disease of the spine known as lumbar spinal stenosis using a combination of biomarkers, X-ray images in motion and 3D imaging of muscles and ligaments. In parallel, the researchers also want to develop a secure platform for the management of clinical data.
More information: Dynamic imaging center
Smartfeld education lab is growing
With the support of the IT education campaign, the Smartfeld education lab is expanding its range of services. Pupils from the Werdenberg-Sarganserland and Lake Zurich-Linth regions can now attend STEM workshops on site in Buchs and Rapperswil-Jona, in addition to the location at the Switzerland Innovation Park OST in St. Gallen. The interdisciplinary education initiative was co-started by Empa, among others, in 2018. Empa researchers develop STEM demonstrators for Smartfeld, which are then manufactured at Empa in collaboration with the institute's apprentices. In 2023, Smartfeld attracted well over 4,000 students and more than 300 teachers for workshops and courses.
More information: Home | Smartfeld | Technologie + Kreativität
Tires as a source of microplastics
If you brake hard in a car, the tires will leave a black mark on the road. Tire wear is, however, not only generated during extreme manoeuvers, but also during every "normal" drive; even at constant speed, the tires rub against the road surface, releasing tire material into the environment. This material accounts for a large proportion of the total released microplastics. In a recently published report in response to a postulate from the Swiss parliament, researchers from Empa and the company wst21 summarized the results of numerous studies and presented approaches on how tire wear can be reduced.
More information: Empa - Communication - Mikroplastik-Reifen-Abrieb
