Annual Report 2015 Annual Report2015 Our Vision
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Empa Annual Report 2015 Annual Report2015 Our Vision. Materials and Technologies for a Sustainable Future. 4 Rubrik 4 Foreword 6 Year at a Glance 11 Selected Projects 51 Research Focus Areas 75 From Research to Innovation 103 Facts and Figures Cover photo: Titanium aluminide cubes produced on a 3D printer with embedded ceramic particles. Thanks to its low density, this alloy is interesting for jet engines, but difficult to process. Test specimens reveal the parameters where 3D printing with metals works best. See also page 10. Publisher: Empa; Concept/Design/Layout: Empa; Printing: Neidhart + Schön AG, Zurich. © Empa 2016 – ISSN 1424-2176 Annual report Empa @ Empa 2016 © Boris Adolf, Zürich Using research and cooperation platforms to boost Switzerland’s competitive edge t is no secret that Switzerland’s economy can only keep de- tor “move”, research is conducted into new powertrain technol- veloping and assert itself on the global stage thanks to inno- ogies for individual mobility, such as fuel-cell vehicles or gas Ivations, i. e., new products with a real added value customers and electric cars. Thanks to these two platforms, where our are willing to pay for. New product developments enabled research converges with that of our partners, we were able to through Empa are based on novel materials and technologies. initiate a third one – ehub (Energy Hub), which is pioneering Getting them ready for market entry, however, can be so re- the energy supply of the future by studying, optimizing, and source-consuming that hardly any company is ready to take the coupling energy flows between the mobility and the building risk, even if the underlying scientific basics are well established. sector. This enables decentralized solutions for our energy fu- For instance, it took more than a decade to develop flexible CIGS ture to be explored and experienced in practice. thin-film solar cells to such a stage that they could match silicon Moreover, novel coatings and functional components with cells in terms of energy conversion efficiency. Besides tenacious well-defined mechanical and thermal properties are honed at researchers, this also required sufficient support from public the recently inaugurated Coating Competence Center (CCC). funding sources; and even after a pilot production plant could Here, the focus is on the upscaling of novel coating technologies recently be inaugurated in Niederhasli, Zurich, success on the from the lab to industrial-scale processes – of course always in mar ket is by no means guaranteed. close collaboration with our industrial partners. Surface coat- Intense collaboration and a regular exchange of ideas be- ings, but also new metal powders and ceramics for 3D printing tween researchers and their partners from industry are para- of complex components, are developed on a larger scale than in mount if you want to translate scientific results into sustainable the lab. Our long-term goal is to transform the CCC into a Cen- applications for the Swiss economy. Here at Empa, we have ter for Advanced Manufacturing in the form of a public-private established various platforms for areas such as construction, partnership (PPP) at the Swiss Innovation Park in Dübendorf. mobility, energy, and new industrial production processes, Along with the “Internet of Things”, advanced manufacturing where scientists will bring their expertise to the table and drive is one of the cornerstones of “Industry 4.0”, the next industrial projects outside the protected confines of the lab environment. revolution, where virtual data merges with actual production For companies, the platforms are places where they can keep facilities. tabs on the latest developments and collaborate at an early stage These new platforms enable Empa to bridge the gap be- by submitting requests or specifying market requirements. tween research and industry based on scientific excellence and Our platform for the construction sector is called NEST, a thus facilitate an efficient knowledge and technology transfer in building with a fixed core and exchangeable units that enable order to boost Switzerland’s competitive edge. After all, we have new, energy-efficient forms of living and working to be devel- to stay ahead in the global innovation ranking, don’t we? oped and experienced in operation. At the mobility demonstra- Prof.Dr Gian-Luca Bona, CEO Foreword 5 02 04 Techtextil Innovation 06 A passion for Clean in every way research Award 2015 In a CTI project Empa, “Empa ambassadors“: ETH Zurich, and Bucher the unofficial new title for 03 Municipal developed a two Empa researchers. Key energy of pioneering hybrid electric Karl-Heinz Ernst (left) and the future 05 powertrain for road Oliver Gröning were ap- The automobile industry How do the holes sweepers. The concept is pointed as “Distinguished is also involved in the get into cheese? based on a gas engine, Senior Researchers” – transition from fossil and In collaboration with The holes in certain types which powers an electric 01 a new accolade for scien- nuclear energy to renew- partners from industry, a of cheese are caused motor. Compared to con- Fireproofing for tists and engineers whose able sources. In addition team from Empa devel- by hay particles, which ventional road sweepers, business jets reputation and work to the introduction of oped a chest strap for the release gases in the this halves the energy A new coating protects has stood Empa in good vehicles with new power- long-term monitoring of fermentation process. consumption and slashes aircraft interiors against stead for many years, train technologies, the patients with heart prob- During traditional milk- CO emissions by more fire. Not only is the sub- whether it be through supply of appropriate lems. What makes the ing, hay gets into the milk 2 than 60 percent. stance more environmen- excellent basic research fuels is also pivotal. At ECG strap so special: it pales, as researchers tally friendly than previ- or its subsequent applica- Empa, representatives keeps itself moist, which from Agroscope and ous flame retardants; tion and implementation from politics, industry is essential for reliable Empa discovered. This it is also easier to apply. with industrial partners. and research demonstrat- signal monitoring. The also explains why certain Page 45 ed how this might be strap won the Innovation cheeses have fewer and achieved. Award at the Techtextil fewer holes: the milk Sound masterpiece trade fair. is getting “cleaner” from with Empa heart Backache – a mat- machine milking. A sound masterpiece by ter of mechanics Empa goes Belgian artist Aernoudt bestseller Nine partners from Jacobs, which he created The spy thriller “Project eight countries with Empa technology, Black Hungarian” com- Empa is part of the “Euro- was on display at the Research for the bines current develop- pean Nanomedicine “Kontinuum” exhibition energy turnaround ments in e-mobility and Characterization Labora- in Vienna. Inside the Around 70 researchers IT security with a fictitious tory”, a project funded by work of art there is a from Empa, ETH Zurich, spy story, which unfolds, the EU framework pro- membrane made of elec- EPFL, Lucerne University Thanks to a collaboration among other places, at gram “Horizon 2020”. troactive polymers (EAP), of Applied Sciences and with Zurich University Empa in St. Gallen. The Solar cells The goal is to achieve a which simultaneously Arts, the University of Hospital and the Uni ver- story was inspired by with 25 percent level of international ex- generates reflections and Geneva, and the Univer- sity of Pittsburgh, Empa events during the electric efficiency cellence in the characteri- sounds. sity of Applied Sciences decoded the mechanics car rally WAVE 2013. The Sharc25 project has zation of nanodrugs for and Arts Northwestern of the lower vertebrae. an ambitious goal: to diseases such as cancer, Switzerland convened for The researchers can now increase the efficiency of diabetes, inflammatory a workshop organized reveal how wear and thin-film solar cells made conditions or infections. by the Swiss Competence tear comes about on ver- of copper indium gallium Center for Energy Re- tebral bodies and spinal (di) selenide (CIGS) to search, where they de- disks, which makes se- 25 percent – three per- veloped a research road- lecting the right course of cent above the current map to reduce the ener- treatment much easier. record. gy demand of the Swiss Page 24 building park fivefold by 2050. 6 Year at a Glance 08 10 Experience planned Empa researchers wind farms optimize diesel 12 07 Wind turbines alter the 09 If diesel exhaust gases Ecological: “fool’s Edobalance for landscape and cause NEST: the backbone could be denitrified, gold battery“ future products noise. In collaboration is up you’d have an economic Researchers from Empa with ETH Zurich, Empa The building of the future clean engine. In collabo- and ETH Zurich discov- developed a computer is taking shape: about ration with ETH Zurich ered an alternative to simulation that enables a year after the first cut of and the Politecnico di lithium ion batteries: the an optical and acoustic the spade, the backbone Milano, Empa researchers 11 “fool’s gold battery”. assessment – even before of the research and inno- have been studying dif- “move“ opens It consists of iron, sulfur, the wind turbine is up vation building NEST is ferent AdBlue injection its doors sodium, and magnesium and running. finished. On 11 Septem- methods with a view to The demonstration and – all elements that are in ber 2015, the backers achieving the optimum technology transfer plat- plentiful supply. Empa scientists devel- from research, industry, nebulization and distribu- form “move” enables Page 30 oped a method that en- and the public sector cel- tion of the urea solution Empa researchers to de- ables companies to simu- ebrated the topping-out in the flow of exhaust gas. velop new vehicle drive late production scenarios ceremony with project Page 18 concepts with significant- – and thus avoid poor partners in Dübendorf.