Press

In combination with the right materials, sunbeams can work wonders: they clean building facades and decompose pollutants from the air or in the water. The magic word is photocatalysis. In practice, though, the effectiveness of this ”miracle cure” fluctuates greatly, depending on the material used and the environmental factors. With a new measuring device, researchers now want to determine the photocatalytic effectiveness of surfaces more accurately and quickly, thereby increasing efficiency.

On June 1st, 2018 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed that sealed the partnership between Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and Feng Chia University, that had already existed since 2014.

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.