New Empa spin-off

19-Feb-2021

After a successful career in research at Empa, Matthias Koebel has now ventured into the private sector and founded the start-up Siloxene. The young entrepreneur has a construction kit filled with a miracle material, a lot of know-how and – despite the general mood of crisis – a refreshing ...

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It behaves as a semiconductor and may also have unusual electrical properties

18-Feb-2021

For the first time, physicists from the University of Basel have produced a graphene compound consisting of carbon atoms and a small number of nitrogen atoms in a regular grid of hexagons and triangles. This honeycomb-structured “kagome lattice” behaves as a semiconductor and may also have ...

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With the expansion of the product portfolio, Sunfire continues to strengthen its position as a leading electrolysis player in the green hydrogen revolution

25-Jan-2021

Sunfire has taken over IHT Industrie Haute Technology SA, a Monthey, Switzerland-based alkaline electrolysis company. With this acquisition, the Dresden based leader in green hydrogen continues to expand its portfolio to include high-pressure alkaline water electrolysis. The technology proves ...

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Carbon-​neutral aviation and the use of fossil fuels are not mutually exclusive

15-Jan-2021

Carbon-​neutral aviation is possible, but in future, aircraft are likely to continue to be powered by fossil fuels. The CO2 they emit must be systematically stored underground. This is the most economical of various approaches that ETH researchers have compared in detail. It is politically agreed ...

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Start-ups made carbon-​neutral fuels and turning carbon dioxide into stone

14-Jan-2021

More and more ETH Zurich researchers are taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. By launching spin-​offs, they hope to turn their lab findings into solutions that can help stem the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. There is no shortage of evidence for what the Fifth Assessment Report of the ...

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Wafer-thin layers with great effect

07-Jan-2021

High-performance fibres that have been exposed to high temperatures usually lose their mechanical properties undetected and, in the worst case, can tear precisely when lives depend on them. For example, safety ropes used by fire brigades or suspension ropes for heavy loads on construction sites. ...

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Hariolf Kottmann to focus on his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors

10-Dec-2020

Clariant announced that Conrad Keijzer will become Clariant’s new Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors has appointed him in its meeting. Conrad Keijzer will officially join the company as of January 1, 2021. Executive Chairman ad interim Hariolf Kottmann will then return to his ...

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Scientists have generated a huge true random number using DNA synthesis: It is the first time that a number of this magnitude has been created by biochemical means.

23-Nov-2020

True random numbers are required in fields as diverse as slot machines and data encryption. These numbers need to be truly random, such that they cannot even be predicted by people with detailed knowledge of the method used to generate them. As a rule, they are generated using physical methods. ...

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Good catalytic performance is driven chiefly by processes that occur on the surface of the catalyst – and not electrochemical processes

20-Nov-2020

Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is an important chemical reaction, especially considering that the use of hydrogen as an energy source in sustainable mobility in the future. An international research team has now decoded how one of the catalysts used in this reaction works. Hydrogen is a ...

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Luminescent and hydrophobic wood films as optical lighting materials

06-Nov-2020

The right indoor lighting can help set the mood, from a soft romantic glow to bright, stimulating colors. But some materials used for lighting, such as plastics, are not eco-friendly. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a bio-based, luminescent, water-resistant wood film that ...

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