Press Releases

On May 21, 2019, the first LABVOLUTION AWARDS were presented in Hannover. Together with BioRegio STERN, Goldfuß engineering, Biametrics and BioTeSys, the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC has reached third place for their project APRONA. They were honored for the development of a two-armed robotic system that enables the automated production of nanoparticles. The first robotic prototype facility was presented at the LABVOLUTION.

Smart materials and embedded electronics create the conditions for innovative design and new applications in the field of intelligent textiles, electronic interconnections, controls and displays. The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC with ist Center Smart Materials is working on silicon-based materials, adapted printing pastes and efficient production technologies in order to exploit the application potential of expandable sensors and conductors, to inspire new product ideas and to accelerate the implementation.

Together, the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT and the Fraunhofer Project Center for Stem Cell Process Engineering SPT present selected topics of laboratory technology and biotechnology in the mobile epidemiological BSL2 laboratory, the so-called »mobile EpiLab«.

Integrating sensoric functions into textiles or elastomers is way more difficult than equipping machines because it requires movable or extensible sensors. The Center Smart Materials CeSMa of the Fraunhofer ISC with its experience in the field of adaptive elastomers has developed highly elastic sensors and actuators based on silicone. They provide a wide range of sensoric and actoric functions for smart electronic textiles (e-textiles) with a broad application potential in medical technology, in sports, in furniture, vehicles or in transport safety. CeSMa will be presenting its developments from May 14-17 at TechTextil 2019 in Frankfurt.

The demands placed on a dental prosthesis are high: it should look natural, endure accidental biting on cherry pits – and if possible, the patient should be able to remain in the dentist's chair while the dental prosthesis is individually milled and inserted. Dr. Bernhard Durschang and Dr. Jörn Probst of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC have developed such a dental prosthesis and have been awarded the Fraunhofer "Human-Centered Technology" prize.

Safe diagnoses of diseases, identification of multidrug-resistant germs, detection of beginning epidemics at an early stage or detection of toxins and pathogens in drinking water and food in even the lowest concentrations – these are major challenges and goals of current research programs. One of the most promising tools for these tasks are novel and considerably improved biosensors. The project “BioSensing” of the Fraunhofer Institutes for Silicate Research ISC and for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME and the Leiden University, Institute of Physics aims to overcome the limits of modern biosensors with the help of quantum technology.

Natural rubber from rubber trees is a raw material with a limited supply. Synthetically produced rubber, on the other hand, has not yet been able to match the abrasion behavior of the natural product, rendering it unsuitable for truck tires. But now, for the first time, a new type of synthetic rubber has been developed that achieves 30 to 50 percent less abrasion than natural rubber.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC and the University Hospital Würzburg host the “22nd International Symposium on Signal Transduction at the Blood-Brain Barriers”, which will be held from September 11 – 13, 2019 in Würzburg, Germany.

A world moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy will rely more and more on energy storage and in particular on batteries. Better batteries can reduce the carbon footprint of the transport sector, stabilise the power grid, and much more. The “Battery 2030+” large-scale research initiative will gather leading scientists in Europe, as well as the industry, to achieve a leap forward in battery science and technology. The first “Battery 2030+” project kicks off in March 2019 and will lay the basis for this large-scale research initiative on future battery technologies.

As part of a strategic international cooperation program of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Empa in Dübendorf (CH) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg (D) launched a three-year joint research project at the beginning of January to create the basis for a produc-tion-ready next generation of traction batteries for electric cars. In contrast to lithium-ion cells currently in use, these will consist only of solids and will no longer contain flammable liquid electrolytes. The Fraunhofer ISC contributes its know-how in process development and battery cell production and produces the first prototypes.