Surprising discoveries regarding the behaviour of electrons

28-Apr-2020

In a material made of two thin crystal layers that are slightly twisted with respect to each other, researchers at ETH have studied the behaviour of strongly interacting electrons. Doing so, they found a number of surprising properties. Many modern technologies are based on special materials, ...

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14-Apr-2020

ETH physicists have developed the first high-​repetition-rate laser source that produces coherent soft x-​rays spanning the entire ‘water window’. That technological breakthrough should enable a broad range of studies in the biological, chemical and material sciences as well as in physics. The ...

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07-Apr-2020

ETH researchers analysed various possibilities for reducing the net CO2 emissions of the chemical industry to zero. Their conclusion? The chemical industry can in fact have a carbon-​neutral future. Switzerland’s Federal Council has decided that the country should become carbon-​neutral by 2050. ...

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27-Mar-2020

Researchers from ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) have set a new world record: they 3D printed complex objects with higher cellulose content than that of any other additively manufactured cellulose-​based parts. To achieve this, they used a ...

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There are an ever-​greater number of industrial chemicals on the world market

17-Feb-2020

An international team of researchers has conducted a global review of all registered industrial chemicals: some 350,000 different substances are produced and traded around the world – well in excess of the 100,000 reached in previous estimates. For about a third of these substances, there is a ...

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Technology with multiple possibilities

17-Feb-2020

Two research groups at ETH Zurich have joined forces to develop a novel light detector. It consists of two-​dimensional layers of different materials that are coupled to a silicon optical waveguide. In the future, this approach can also be used to make LEDs and optical modulators. Fast and highly ...

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23-Jan-2020

ETH scientists have further developed QLED technology for screens. They have produced light sources that for the first time emit high-​intensity light in only one direction. This reduces scattering losses, which makes the technology extremely energy efficient. QLED screens have been on the market ...

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14-Jan-2020

ETH researchers have created an incredibly lightweight 18-​carat gold, using a matrix of plastic in place of metallic alloy elements. Lovers of gold watches and heavy jewellery will be thrilled. The objects of their desire may someday become much lighter, but without losing any of their glitter. ...

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Researchers in Zurich have reproduced Michelangelo’s David as a miniature in metal

02-Jan-2020

There he is, standing upon his pedestal: David by Michelangelo. A world-​famous statue that nearly every child can recognise. But this David is just 1 millimeter tall, pedestal included, and is made not of marble like the 5.17-​meter original, but of pure copper. It was created using 3D printing ...

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20-Dec-2019

Metamaterials defy conventions, making rigid media flexible, soft materials transmit signals, and sound and light behave in bizarre ways. Metamaterials are engineered to possess properties not found in nature. The ceramic cube under the microscope is gifted with superpowers. Compressed to nearly ...

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