‘Hot’ new form of microscopy examines materials using evanescent waves

“This microscope technology is completely new, so we’re still learning specifically how and where it can be applied”

14-Nov-2023 - Conventional microscopes irradiate a sample, usually with light or electrons. Any reflected or scattered radiation can be used to build a detailed image and obtain characteristic information about a material’s surface. This is called an active measurement, but it isn’t the only technique that can ...

Unique X-ray Topography Based Defect Characterization for SiC Wafers Honored with Georg Waeber Innovation Award 2023

02-Nov-2023 - A cross-organizational team from Rigaku SE and Fraunhofer IISB has established a new semiconductor material characterization method in their jointly operated Center of Expertise for X-ray Topography in Erlangen, Germany. They succeeded not only in developing an industry-ready X-ray topography ...

Tracking down Environmental Toxins

Detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by interrupted energy transfer

02-Nov-2023 - PFAS, a family of highly fluorinated substances, represent a danger for humans and the environment. Particularly problematic members of this family, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) appear to cause organ damage and cancer, as well as disrupting the ...

analytica 2024 presents the laboratory world of tomorrow

Focus topics are digitization and sustainability

11-Oct-2023 - The international laboratory industry will meet in person again in spring 2024 at analytica in Munich from April 9 to 12. The world’s leading trade fair for laboratory technology, analysis and biotechnology covers the entire spectrum of laboratories in industry and research, and places great ...

Checking items of clothing using a smartphone, AI and infrared spectroscopy

Also suitable for food and skin testing

06-Oct-2023 - Researchers at Fraunhofer have developed an ultra-compact near-infrared spectrometer suitable for recognizing and analyzing textiles. Mixed fabrics can also be reliably identified through the combination of imaging, special AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms and spectroscopy. The technology ...

POWTECH and PARTEC 2023 – three days of processing and particle technology at the highest level

27-Sep-2023 - From 26 to 28 September 2023, POWTECH in Nuremberg will once again become the hot spot for international experts in processing technology from a wide range of user segments, especially the food and feed, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. In four exhibition halls, 553 exhibitors from 27 ...

analytica: Significant upswing in international spin-offs

Country-specific challenges

26-Sep-2023 - The five international analytica trade fairs that make up the international cluster of the world’s leading trade fair for laboratory technology, analysis and biotechnology registered some significant increase in visitors and exhibitors this year. With the successful local spin-offs in China, ...

Structure formation during freeze casting filmed in 3D and real time

Freeze-cast materials can be used for many applications: as battery electrodes, catalyst materials or in biomedicine

08-Sep-2023 - Freeze casting processes can be used to produce highly porous and hierarchically structured materials that have a large surface area. They are suitable for a wide variety of applications, as electrodes for batteries, catalyst materials or in biomedicine. Now a team led by Prof. Ulrike G. K. ...

Detecting nanoplastics – in fractions of a second

Basis for new measurement devices

19-Jul-2023 - Tiny plastic particles are an environmental problem. They can even penetrate living cells. A method has now been developed at TU Wien to detect such particles quickly and with high sensitivity. It is well known that microplastics are a problem: They are tiny, barely visible plastic particles that ...

House cats’ noses may function like highly efficient chemical analysis equipment

Parallels between cat noses and gas chromatography provide new insights into mammalian evolution

04-Jul-2023 - A new computer simulation of domestic cats’ noses suggests that the convoluted nasal structures involved in their sense of smell function similarly to parallel coiled gas chromatographs—laboratory equipment used for highly efficient analysis of the chemical makeup of substances. Zhenxing Wu of ...