Press Releases

In the FOWINA project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen and the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg have developed novel color sensors with a special microlens arrangement. The sensors can be realized directly on the chip and combine multiple functions in a minimum of space. Their extremely slim design makes the sensors suitable for a wide range of applications, such as in mobile devices or color-adjustable LED lamps.

Humankind has already produced more than eight billion tons of plastic. Every year, we add another 80 million tons of plastic packaging to the total, only half of which is recycled. The rest ends up in a garbage incinerator or as trash that pollutes forests, meadows, lakes and oceans. Dr. Sabine Amberg-Schwab from the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Wurzburg is on to something that could solve the problem – a new class of material called bioORMOCER^®s.

Glass windows, which can also act as displays and play a current information, resource-saving lightweight membrane cushion construction with highly functionalized films or the future of packaging materials – at the "12 ICCG - International Conference on coatings on glass and plastics" in Würzburg, Germany 280 experts from industry and academia discussed these possible future trends. More than 30 exhibitors at the accompanying exhibition in the Würzburg Congress Center showed what can already be achieved with functional coatings today. Exhibitors included the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC with highlights such as electrically colorable windows, printed sensors and biodegradable coatings for compostable packaging films.

Precise volumetric glassware is essential equipment in the laboratory. They are permanently dimensionally stable, resistant to many chemicals and easy to clean. For the precise calibration/adjustment of laboratory glassware, Fraunhofer ISC’s Center for Device Development CeDeD has developed in cooperation with laboratory glassware manufacturers various semi-automatic devices that work reliably, quickly and mercury-free. These calibration devices are supplemented by a new development of the Fraunhofer ISC, the MFD (Marking Firing Device). This allows calibration marks on volumetric flasks to be burned in quickly and reliably without a furnace. The prototype will be presented for the first time at ACHEMA 2018.

Today‘s electromobility consumes large amounts of traction batteries, preferably high-performance lithium-ion batteries. These batteries contain valuable raw materials and should not be discarded as waste at the end of their life. Efficient recycling requires closed materials loops and a logistic solution capable of growing along with the increasing number of waste batteries from more and more electric vehicles. The research project »Automotive Battery Recycling 2020« which was launched earlier this year with EU-funding from EIT RawMaterials sets out to identify efficient recycling routines that are ecologically sound, economically viable and readily transferable to industrial scale. The overall aim is to improve the EU-wide recycling chain and add to a secure supply of raw materials through the recovery of valuable materials from waste streams.

Whether in use as starter battery in vehicles, as power back-up or for the storage of energy from renewable sources: Lead-acid batteries are among the oldest and most common battery systems in Germany. About 200 000 tons of them come to market each year. And their disposal is excellently organized: in Germany, waste batteries undergo a well-established recycling by manufacturers and processors. But the turnaround in German energy policy is posing new demands on electrochemical energy storage systems. Electric vehicles and stationary storage units for photovoltaic systems, for instance, look for long service lives and high power densities. The battery experts of the Fraunhofer R&D Center Electromobility Bavaria located at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC now joined forces with a consortium of partners from industry and research to shape up this old system and make it fit for the future.

No chance without them: High-performance batteries are the key to electromobility. And the market is growing. Europe expects to see a lot more of electric vehicles by 2030. The EU commission is promoting the development of high-performance batteries accordingly. Among the researchers working to make the vision come true are those of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg, Germany. They take part in the collaborative project SOLID that was recently launched to develop a simple low-cost method for battery mass production via the sol-gel route. The aim is to provide industry with the much needed large-scale production option for safe high-performance lithium-based solid state batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries are subject to a myriad of negative influences during their life span. The mere production process itself and subsequent transport from the production site impose mechanical stress. Whether in power tools, electrically driven forklift trucks, cars or trains – their life will always be full of vibration, sudden impact or shock whenever obstacles have to be crossed, when they are dropped or simply when charging or discharging induces volume changes in their electrodes. In late 2017, the project “ReViSEDBatt“ was launched to investigate the effects of mechanical stresses on the cycle life and safety of lithium-ion batteries. The overall project goal is to optimize batteries so they can better cope with everyday stress.

At this week‘s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the winners were presented of the »Circular Materials Challenge«. The prize is awarded by the New Plastics Economy Initiative, launched in 2016 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundadion, to promote new ways to counter the oceans plastics pollution. Five projects were honored with this prestigious prize and share the one million dollar prize money. Among the winning projects is the work of Dr. Sabine Amberg-Schwab, senior scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, who developed the bioORMOCER^®s. The Fraunhofer ISC, located in Würzburg, Germany, is one of the leadng R&D instititutions when it comes to sustainable materials, technologies or products that help tackle the world’s foremost challenges.

In the SoCUS project, the Fraunhofer R&D Center for Electromobility Bavaria is developing cost-effective sensor systems that can be integrated directly into the battery and can measure the state of charge more accurately than commercially available systems. The systems use ultrasound pulses to measure and evaluate the density of the negative anode which changes with the state of charge of the cell.