Press

Microscopy is at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus. Special microscopes, which enable scientists to view minute cell structures, are an indispensable tool in the development of vaccines and new therapies. Such equipment comprises not only a microscope with high optical resolution but also a high-precision microscope stage. Hard-magnetic coatings from the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST also play a key role here. They help enable the examination of minuscule cell structures in precise detail and at great speed.

The wastewater treatment plant is turned into a vegetable farm, bio-based substances recovered from waste are being utilized to prevent oxidative spoilage in food packaging or provide environmentally-friendly and safe water-repellent coatings on functional textiles. In the EVOBIO project coordinated by Fraunhofer IGB, 19 Fraunhofer Institutes are working on solutions for a sustainable economy by developing new concepts that utilize material flows in bioeconomy process cycles to produce optimized materials for innovative products.

Mobile, distributed systems that provide medical care to the public can be a crucial addition to the existing healthcare infrastructure in crises and emergencies such as the current Corona pandemic. Six of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s institutes have joined forces under the lead management of the Fraunhofer IFF in Magdeburg and are developing an integrated system for mobile, distributed medical care in the Demo-medVer project. What makes it special is that all of the complete system’s components are modularized, are closely interconnected, and complement each other. A functional prototype is intended to be built by the end of next year.

Medical products such as blood bags and tubing are often made from soft PVC, a plastic that contains phthalate plasticizers, which are suspected to be harmful to human health. These substances are not chemically bound to the polymer, which means they can leach into the blood bags and thus come into contact with human cells. A new method developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST prevents these harmful substances from migrating into the surrounding media.

How can individualized luxury mobility be designed for the world of the year 2040? A world that will be driven by the idea of a circular economy and products with significantly longer lives. A world that will also be characterized by the desire for individual and quickly evolving lifestyles. How can the maximum level of driving comfort be achieved between these two polar opposites? To answer these questions, an interdisciplinary research team made up of experts from the Fraunhofer Institutes for Chemical Technology ICT, for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, for Industrial Engineering IAO, for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM, for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, and for Wood Research, Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut, WKI, has developed “Vision PI,” a modular futuristic mobility concept.

Nuremberg: Loose screws at important connection points constitute a considerable safety risk. The research center IoT-COMMs – part of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Internet Technologies CCIT – has developed an intelligent screw connection which enables wireless, energy-autonomous monitoring. A thin-film sensor thereby measures both the forces acting on the screw connection and changes in the ambient temperature at the installation site. Via the standardized mioty^® wireless protocol, the screw regularly transmits load data for control purposes. The aim is the realization of an energy-autonomous monitoring of bridges, scaffolding, wind-power plants and similar structures through permanent long-term surveillance. The solution will be presented for the first time during the Fraunhofer Solution Days from 26^th - 29^th October 2020.

On 30^th September 2020, Prof. Dr. Günter Bräuer's active term as Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST came to an end.

The Wasserstoff-Campus (hydrogen campus) in Salzgitter is gathering speed: Today, a cooperation agreement was signed by the city of Salzgitter, Salzgitter AG, MAN Energy Solutions, Bosch, Alstom, WEVG, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films, and the Projektbüro Südostniedersachsen, in which the Amt für regionale Landesentwicklung (office for regional state development) and the Allianz für die Region GmbH (alliance for the region) pool their resources.

As a predominantly arid country, South Africa faces the enormous challenge of managing existing resources sustainably. In addition to the scarce water resources, South Africa also faces energy shortages within a system that is dominated by fossil fuel generation, as well as challenges with regard to food security. Stellenbosch University and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have now established the “Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for the Water-Energy-Food Nexus at Stellenbosch University“ as part of a strategic partnership. The objective of this long-term cooperation is to jointly develop tailored technological and cross-sectoral solutions for water, energy and food security – for the benefit of people and the environment.

The German government wants to sustainably strengthen battery research in Germany along the entire value chain, to accelerate the transfer into industrial applications and to support the development of battery-cell production in Germany. Within the framework of the umbrella concept “Forschungsfabrik Batterie” (Battery Research Factory), four new competence clusters will contribute towards this. The Fraunhofer IST is introducing its competencies in the field of life cycle engineering into the “Recycling and green batteries” cluster.