Press

This year, the Fraunhofer IST once again opened its doors to inspire pupils of grades 5 to 7 for the ”Future Day for Girls and Boys” for science. A total of 22 young researchers – 11 girls and 11 boys – immersed themselves one day in the fascinating research routine of a Fraunhofer Institute.

Digitalization is a topic that affects and moves all industries. Thus, at this year’s Hanover Trade Fair from April 23 to 27, 2018 the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Technology IST appears for the first time in the area of “Digital Factory” at the joint Fraunhofer booth “Digital Solutions & New Materials“ (hall 6, booth A30).

Human stem cells are considered a major new hope in the field of medicine. In the future, it is expected that they will make it possible to treat a wide range of ailments such as neurodegenerative diseases. With LabBag®, Fraunhofer researchers have developed an all-in-one system in the form of a transparent bag that provides a cheap, fast and sterile way for scientists to grow, differentiate and freeze stem cells. The cell models produced can be used for toxicity tests and drug development. Having successfully tested the system, researchers will present a prototype at the MEDICA trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, from November 13 to 16.

Prof. Dr. Günter Bräuer received the K-T Rie Award for his achievements in the field of applied plasma research at this year's Asian-European International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (AEPSE), which took place in Jeju, Korea, from 11 to 15 September 2017.

The prototype kilogram – to which all scales are calibrated to – is losing weight. International efforts are striving to redefine the base unit for measuring mass and, in future, redefine the kilogram on natural constants. For this purpose, the Avogadro experiment determines the number of atoms in almost perfect silicon spheres. Fraunhofer researchers have recently succeeded in homogeneously coating the spherical surfaces – the measurement uncertainty can be limited to a range below 10 micrograms.

Microparticles and nanoparticles form the basis of many innovative applications and technologies, including what is known as cold plasma spraying, due to their large specific surface. What makes the innovative process developed at the Fraunhofer IST special is that a broad range of different materials can be treated and a variety of layer functions can be realized at the same time.

Cost-effective plastics are used for many medical disposable products. Often they do not only have to be biocompatible but also require defined surface characteristics or need to be functionalized for the subsequent coupling of biomolecules. Atmospheric pressure plasma processes such as those used and developed at the Fraunhofer IST offer a variety of possibilities for changing the physical or chemical characteristics of surfaces so that they can be used for biomedical applications.

Plasmas are often found in the center of stars – on Earth, the electrically charged gas mixtures are a rare occurrence, such as in lightning discharges or aurora borealis lights. However, you can provide some help with high heat or high electrical voltages. Fraunhofer researchers have produced cold plasmas and used them for the surface treatment of temperature-sensitive materials. In doing so, recesses or undercuts were no longer a problem, thanks to a new technology – the Disc Jet can reach everywhere.

3D-printed biocompatible support structures known as scaffolds play an important role in the field of regenerative medicine. They serve as the basis, for example, for producing biological tissue intended to support wound healing or minimize the risk of postoperative infection. Together with seven project partners, the Fraunhofer IST is currently working on an advance in 3D printing that will allow for greater time and cost efficiency in producing the scaffolds while at the same time functionalizing them through atmospheric pressure plasma processes.

Precise and reliable weather forecasts can save human lives and help to alleviate the worldwide effects of weather disasters. That is why MetOp-SG, Europe’s second generation of weather satellites, is being equipped with various innovative, high-performance research instruments. For example, an improved and highly sensitive radiometer is to be used in the future to measure terrestrial microwave radiation in order to determine air temperatures and water vapor concentrations at different elevations. The Fraunhofer IST is participating in this development along with Airbus DS and Invent GmbH.