Press Releases

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.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) and the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation (Technical University of Liberec) join forces to establish a Center of Excellence. With the Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2018 the partners agree on common objectives: with their powerful synergetic competencies in the field of nanomaterials and technologies they enhance their research capabilities and extend their network in Western, Central and Eastern Europe.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft - Europe’s largest institution for applied research - and Ynvisible sign a MoU in the field of electrochromic inks and devices. The co-operation aims to accomplish several objectives related to the development and proliferation of electrochromic inks and devices. The agreement outlines that joint business explorations will be conducted, seeking to enhance commercial uses of Fraunhofer’s technologies and skills in electrochromics by combining them with Ynvisible’s technology and beyond. Developments will be jointly carried out by using a combination of each parties’ proprietary technologies, skills and capabilities.

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.