Press Releases

Whether in chemical accidents, contaminated sites, or the deployment of chemical warfare agents, hazardous gases must be detected quickly and reliably. What has so far been possible only through complex or inaccurate methods is set to become simple and reliable on-site in the future thanks to specifically designed materials. As part of the ProtecKD research project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC and its partners are developing a novel sensor system based on biohybrid materials designed to detect highly toxic substances with extreme sensitivity in the future. This will enable emergency responders to assess hazardous situations more quickly and precisely in the future. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR).

The current EU Battery Regulation prescribes ambitious recycling quotas. However, the key prerequisites for efficient battery recycling are intelligent recycling processes, reliable assessment, and high-quality processing of recy-cled materials from lithium-ion batteries. With the SHERLOCK project, a re-search initiative is starting to tackle these challenges—another building block on the path toward an economic and sustainable circular economy for batter-ies.

Lithium has become an indispensable part of our daily lives—it’s found in smartphones, e-bikes, power tools, and electric cars. At the same time, its extraction faces criticism because it harms the environment and local liveli-hoods. New technologies could bring about a decisive breakthrough. This is precisely where the German-Chilean research project “PaNaBat” comes in. PaNaBat aims to establish a long-term German–Chilean networking platform that promotes research collaboration, education, technology transfer, and industrial cooperation in sustainable battery raw materials, lithium extrac-tion, and battery recycling. In addition, the project contributes to the diversi-fication and regionalization of supply chains, thereby supporting a broader international presence in the export of lithium and other critical raw materi-als for battery cell production.

Hairsprays and hair styling products are among the most widely used cos-metic products worldwide and, unfortunately, also among the most environmentally problematic. The synthetic polymers they contain are not biodegradable, pass through wastewater treatment plants virtually unimpeded, and accumulate as microplastics in water, soil, and ultimately in the human food chain. Until now, the market has lacked a genuine, fully biodegradable alternative for the hair styling sector. A challenge for materials research that the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC and its industry partner IPPM Technologies GmbH have taken on.

Affordable medicine, rising energy costs, and dependence on strategic raw-material sources make new materials central to many questions. Traditional materials development is time-consuming and often takes years. Fraunhofer ISC is therefore pursuing accelerated development approaches - “Materials Acceleration” - based on digital methods, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Additional acceleration and a broader exploration of the material space are expected from quantum computers. The Italian company Algorithmiq, with proven expertise in quantum computing, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fraunhofer ISC to deepen this collaboration.

Fraunhofer ISC Würzburg celebrated its 100th anniversary on April 1, 2026. Since 1926, the institute has shaped silicate research and has also developed into a broad-based materials research institution. On the anniversary afternoon, around 600 citizens came to gain insights into research, everyday lab life, and innovative strength.

Thursday, March 12, is the big day: A research rocket from the REXUS program launched into the stratosphere from the Esrange Space Center in Sweden, carrying the THRIVE module with components of the cell-based StellarHeal wound care material from Würzburg, Hanover, and Dresden. Preparations for the current rocket launch have been underway since last November, and now it's time to keep our fingers crossed that the experiments yield good results.

The right choice of materials and a commitment to sustainability are enabling advances in baking technology that not only reduce the impact on the environment but also bring economic benefits to small craft businesses. A textile, PFAS-free, and reusable baking mat reduces waste, lowers energy consumption, and simplifies operational processes in areas that matter most to bakers every day. The team behind the BakeTex research project has been awarded this year's Seifriz Transfer Prize and has been invited to present the project at the special show "Innovation Wins" at the International Craft Fair in Munich from March 4 to 8, 2026.

What will happen in the future to used batteries from electric vehicles? How can their valuable materials be recycled efficiently to create a genuine cycle for lithium-based batteries? With its research and development activities, the Fraunhofer R&D Center for Electromobility (FZEB) is conducting research and development into efficient and sustainable solutions for battery recycling in Germany. Now, another joint project by battery researchers and industry has been launched for the direct recycling of battery materials: ProBatman, which aims to optimize the process steps along the entire recycling process chain in terms of purity and yield.

To reduce dependence on rising electricity prices, German households are in-creasingly turning to stationary battery storage systems combined with photo-voltaic systems. These systems provide solar energy around the clock, relieving the burden on power grids. But what happens in ten to fifteen years when these storage systems reach the end of their service life? The answer is direct recycling.