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Materials Science - Environment - 18.02.2021

Three Forward-Looking Research Fields Dominate Battery Research
Smartphones and laptops constantly in use, smart building technology, the expansion of renewable energies, networked charging stations for electric cars or the debate surrounding air taxis: sustainable, safe and efficient batteries are the basis of our lives as well as paving the way for the future.

Physics - Materials Science - 18.02.2021

Multifunctional Nanosystems Destroy SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin produce virus-rupturing nanomaterials, opening up new possibilities for fighting the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus No 029/2021 from Feb 18, 2021 Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin have developed an innovative 2D graphene platform based on nanomaterials that can be used to destroy the membrane envelope of coronavirus cells.

Physics - Materials Science - 16.02.2021

A sharper look at the interior of semiconductors
A research team is developing a high-resolution imaging technique that can be used to investigate materials in a non-destructive manner and with nanometre precision Light Images provide information - what we can observe with our own eyes enables us to understand. Constantly expanding the field of perception into dimensions that are initially hidden from the naked eye, drives science forward.

Physics - Materials Science - 15.02.2021

The transforming power of light
A group of researchers from the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society and the Humboldt University of Berlin have found out that semiconductors can be converted to metals and back more easily and more quickly than previously thought. This discovery may increase the processing speed and simplify the design of many common technological devices.

Materials Science - Physics - 10.02.2021

Captured lithium
Neutrons show effective lithium and electrolyte distribution in lithium-ion cells In our smartphones, our computers and in our electric cars: We use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries everywhere. But their capacity drops after a while. Now a German-American research team has investigated the structure and functionality of these batteries using neutron diffraction: They discovered that the electrolyte fluid's decomposition products capture mobile lithium in the battery and that the distribution of lithium within the cell is surprisingly uneven.

Environment - Materials Science - 29.01.2021

Climate-Relevant Exchange Processes between Atmosphere and Ocean
Environmental physicist Bernd Jähne from Heidelberg University is pursuing a new approach to exploring the processes that ensue with the exchange of climatically relevant gases and volatiles between the atmosphere and the ocean. To this end, the scientist will use two imaging measurement procedures for experiments in the Heidelberg Aelotron, a wind-wave tank.

Materials Science - Chemistry - 29.01.2021

Comparative Study on Lithium-ion Battery Series Manufacturing and Alternative Technologies
Research on manufacturing battery cells is gaining momentum - and there is a strong need, considering the future demand for energy storage: For the year 2030, global production of rechargeable batteries will double from today's 750 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year to 1,500 GWh. A recently published review article in the magazine "Nature Energy" on cell production of various battery types suggests that the currently established lithium-ion batteries (LIB) dominate the market of rechargeable high-energy batteries in the coming years.

Earth Sciences - Materials Science - 26.01.2021

Geologic history written in garnet sand
Research team with participation from Göttingen University use secrets trapped in grains of sand to reveal rock journey and formation On a remote island in Papua New Guinea, an international research team including the University of Göttingen has made an important geological discovery from a garnet-rich sand.

Physics - Materials Science - 22.01.2021

Crystal structures in super slow motion
Physicists from Göttingen first to succeed in filming a phase transition with extremely high spatial and temporal resolution Laser beams can be used to change the properties of materials in an extremely precise way. This principle is already widely used in technologies such as rewritable DVDs. However, the underlying processes generally take place at such unimaginably fast speeds and at such a small scale that they have so far eluded direct observation.

Chemistry - Materials Science - 04.01.2021

Innovative Battery Chemistry Revolutionises Zinc-Air Battery
High-performance, eco-friendly, safe and at the same time cost-effective: the zinc-air battery is an attractive energy storage technology of the future. Until now, the conventional zinc-air battery has struggled with a high chemical instability, parasitic reactions which rooted in the usage of alkaline electrolytes lead to electrochemical irreversibility.

Chemistry - Materials Science - 04.01.2021

Supercapacitors challenge batteries
Powerful graphene hybrid material for highly efficient supercapacitors A team working with Roland Fischer, Professor of Inorganic and Metal-Organic Chemistry at the Technical University Munich (TUM) has developed a highly efficient supercapacitor. The basis of the energy storage device is a novel, powerful and also sustainable graphene hybrid material that has comparable performance data to currently utilized batteries.

Physics - Materials Science - 29.12.2020

Detective work in theoretical physics
Scientific articles in the field of physics are mostly very short and deal with a very restricted topic. A remarkable exception to this is an article published recently by physicists from the Universities of Münster and Düsseldorf. The article is 127 pages long, cites a total of 1075 sources and deals with a wide range of branches of physics - from biophysics to quantum mechanics.

Physics - Materials Science - 17.12.2020

Physics breakthrough of the year
International Team is awarded the Breakthrough of the Year 2020 prize by Physics World magazine Light For the development of a light-emitting silicon alloy, researchers from TU Eindhoven, Netherlands and the University of Jena, Germany together with partners from the University of Linz and TU Munich, are today (17 December) being awarded the " Breakthrough of the Year " prize by Physics World magazine.

Life Sciences - Materials Science - 03.12.2020

Correctly Delivered and Integrated: How Proteins Find Their Place in the Cell
Heidelberg Researchers determine the three-dimensional architecture of a molecular machine that inserts essential proteins into biomembranes Over a quarter of all proteins in a cell are found in the membrane, where they perform vital functions. To fulfil these roles, membrane proteins must be reliably transported from their site of production in the cell to their destination and correctly inserted into the target membrane.

Physics - Materials Science - 23.11.2020

Ultrathin nanomesh sensor to measure sense of touch
World's first fingertip-mounted sensor that maintains user's sensitivity Scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Tokyo have developed an ultrathin pressure sensor that can be attached directly to the skin. It can measure how fingers interact with objects to produce valuable data for technological or medical applications.

Chemistry - Materials Science - 16.11.2020

Novel glass materials made from organic and inorganic components
Research team from Jena and Cambridge develops glass materials with novel combinations of properties Light Linkages between organic and inorganic materials are a common phenomenon in nature, e.g., in the construction of bones and skeletal structures. They often enable combinations of properties that could not be achieved with just one type of material.

Materials Science - Chemistry - 05.11.2020

Innovative Cell Chemistry Developed for Dual-Ion Battery
A long durability, low costs and high sustainability - the requirements for stationary energy storage systems, for example for wind or solar energy, are high. One promising perspective is the still young dual-ion technology. In a collaboration between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the MEET Battery Research Center, scientists developed a new type of dual-ion battery.

Materials Science - Chemistry - 03.11.2020

Innovative Material Concept for an Improved Silicon Anode
The lithium-ion battery is currently state of the art, but has not yet realised its full potential. New electrode materials such as silicon instead of pure graphite in the anode offer a significantly increased electrochemical performance. Until now, this has been at the expense of the battery's lifespan.

Physics - Materials Science - 30.10.2020

Novel Photoresist Developed
Researchers in the -3D Matter Made to Order- Cluster of Excellence expand possibilities of three-dimensional printing of the tiniest microstructures Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Heidelberg University have developed a novel photoresist for two-photon microprinting. For the first time, it can be used to produce three-dimensional microstructures with cavities in the nano-range.

Materials Science - 29.10.2020

Knowledge Modules for Battery Cells "Made in Germany"
The production of battery cells includes many consecutive process steps. There is mixing, stirring, coating, rolling, cutting and stacking. Scientists at ProZell work to improve the quality of the final product, make production more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. The competence cluster for battery cell production, in which MEET Battery Research Center of University of Münster and Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS) of Forschungszentrum Jülich participate, is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).