Stretchable electronics that quadruple in length

Water generates electricity (with a pinch of salt!)

EPFL researchers have developed a system that generates electricity from osmosis with unparalleled efficiency. Their work, featured in "Nature", uses seawater, fresh water, and a new type of membrane just three atoms thick. more

Photoelectrochemical water-splitting efficiency hits 4.5%

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting for hydrogen fuel generation has been considered the Holy Grail of electrochemistry. But to achieve it, many scientists believe the materials have to be abundant and low cost. The most promising oxide photocathodes are cuprous oxide (Cu2O) photoele ... more

Visualizing chemical reactions

Researchers at the joint EPFL-Empa lab in Sion have developed a reactor system and an analysis method that has allowed them to observe the real-time production of synthetic natural gas from CO2 and H2 for the first time. Infrared (IR) thermography is used to determine the temperature of hu ... more

A cheaper way to scale up atomic layer deposition

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) involves stacking layers of atoms on top of each other like pancakes. The atoms come from a vaporized material called a precursor. ALD is a well-established technique for manufacturing microelectronics like semiconductors and magnetic heads for sound recording, ... more