Empa Annual Report 2009

Annual Report 2009

Content

6 Research programs

4 Foreword Top notch research and innovative applications create added value

8 Nanotechnology 10 Adaptive Material Systems 12 Natural Resources and Pollutants 14 Materials for Energy Technologies 16 Materials for Health and Performance

18 Selected Projects 20 Nanoelectronics thanks to “exotic” carbon forms 22 The future of Solar power 24 Diamond-like coatings for long-lasting artificial joints 26 “Intelligent” beds help fight bedsores 28 Self – a prototype for future living 30 Bromine and chlorine free flame retardants 32 The placenta: “filter” for nanoparticles?

34 Artificial tendons made of biopolymers 36 Precise microstructuring of glass fibers 38 Unwanted legacy from glaciers 40 A first step to the hydrogen society 42 Direct conversion of waste heat into electricity 44 sonRAIL: a computer model for quiet trains

58 Facts and figures 46 Empa Inside 48 Technology Transfer 50 Technology Centers 52 Empa Academy 54 Science in Dialog 56 Marketing 57 International PhD Program Switzerland – Poland

60 Scientific Output 60 Dissemination of Knowledge and Technology Transfer 61 Personnel 63 Finances 64 Construction & Operations 65 Organs of Empa 66 Organizational Chart

Foreword

Top notch research and innovative applications create added value

E

mpa is on track. Together with its academic partners, the institution continues to generate innovative ideas and pass them on to industry and society.

As a first class address for materials science and technology development, Empa has further extended its range of activities in 2009, despite a change of leadership and a five month interim period. The handover proceeded so smoothly that it went practically unnoticed. Empa is better positioned than ever and is excellently equipped to meet future challenges thanks to an efficient science and technology transfer process, innovative applications and a level of scientific output which has yet again increased.

This is underpinned by a look at the statistics. The number of scientific publications emanating from Empa’s laboratories in 2009 rose by over 16 per cent in comparison to the previous year. Over the same period the Swiss National Science Foundation, SNSF, approved funding for more Empa projects than ever before. Moreover, the Federal Council only recently granted a project drafted by Empa for an initiative in the area of wood usage, at the suggestion of the SNSF the status of a new National Research Program entitled “Strategies and Technologies for the Value-Optimized Utilization of Wood Resources”. The five year program aims to create a comprehensive understanding of wood as a resource – across the board from

its fundamental bio-physical properties to its sustainable exploitation. In the area of the physical properties of wood, a joint professorship with the ETH Zurich is being planned, in addition to other activities.

Just as important for the success of the past year as the creation of new knowledge were the numerous know-how transfer projects with partners from industry. Above all the number of cooperative industrial projects financially supported by the Innovation Promotion Agency (CTI) increased significantly. However, technologies developed at Empa also find their way to the market via spin-offs. One notable example in this context is the young company “compliant concept”, which is on the verge of launching an “intelligent” bed onto the market which can prevent the formation of bedsores in bedridden patients. As a result of its impressive technical basis and solid business plan the Empa spin-off was last year awarded a well known prize for young entrepreneurs.

Apart from this, technology transfer also takes place via personal interactions, such as through the 160 or so doctoral students currently doing research work at the institution. Countless other Empa alumni have also, of course, moved on to take up positions in other research organizations and in industry. So it is not a big surprise that Empa is named as one of the top ten research institutions of high-

est repute in Europe in a recently published survey conducted by the University of St.Gall.

None of this would have been possible without the profound specialist knowledge, experience and full-blooded commitment of every single member of the Empa staff.

And whilst on the topic of personnel, the number of female staff at the institution has once again increased slightly in 2009. This does not mask the fact that yet more effort is needed to encourage and support women to follow careers in science and engineering. A recently completed master’s thesis by a female member of the Empa staff on equal opportunities has enhanced awareness on this topic and offered new approaches to tackling the situation. Ultimately Empa’s industrial partners will also benefit from improvements in this regard, as will society as a whole.

Prof. Dr Gian-Luca Bona Director

And finally, a vote of thanks. To all fellow employees of our institution for their tireless efforts and impressive work. To my predecessor, Louis Schlapbach, for forging Empa into the high performance, highly respected materials science and technology institute it is today. And to Peter Hofer, who headed Empa on an interim basis in 2009. The culture and atmosphere I have encountered since joining makes Empa “a great place to be” and gives me solid grounds to look to the future with great optimism.

Research Programs

Nanotechnology

Better Materials – better products

Characterization of materials on the nanoscale

In 2009, the research program co-ordinated numerous Empa activities in nanoscience and technology and particularly encouraged application orientated projects. As a result, the Empa is a competent, reliable partner in nano-research for both industry and society.

The Empa has highly specialized analytical equipment and well-qualified personnel at its disposal and is, therefore, in the position to carry out research projects efficiently and to offer complex or demanding services. Additionally, innovative instruments are developed at the Empa. For example, the confocal X-ray adsorption and scanning force microscope (Nano-XAS), developed in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), has been in operation at the PSI synchrotron light source since November 2009. This internationally unique instrument would not have come to fruition without the combined competencies of both institutions.

A further instrument for chemical analysis is the 3D-Nanochemiscope, which is being developed in collaboration with a German high-tech company, a Swiss small-medium company and partners from foreign universities as part of an EU project. In contrast to the Nano-XAS project, the 3D-Nanochemiscope uses an ion beam instead of an X-ray beam, thus allowing the analysis of the molecular structure at the surface.

Better materials through nanoscale effects The plasma of the Reactive Magnetron Sputter process used to deposit optically transparent hard coatings of Al-Si-N emits light between the aluminum and the silicon source. The coatings can be prepared in a very wide temperature range.

Hard and tough coatings for machining tools are of great importance in the metalworking industry. These coatings allow faster production with continually increasing precision.

The implemented coatings achieve their excellent hardness and toughness through nanometer-sized crystals embedded in an amorphous matrix.

08 | 09 Empa-researchers apply their extensive experience in the field of hard coatings to the development of optically transparent coatings that are significantly harder than sapphire. Experimentalists are working in close collaboration with theoreticians at the Empa in order to understand and improve the hardness resulting from nanoscale effects.

Theoretical calculations of defects formed in the nanocrystals are carried out on high-performance computers. Variations in the film thickness and combinations of different materials allow the production of colored coatings that can be used in, for example, architecture glass, decorative coatings and colorcoding for surgical instruments.

From materials to components and equipment The Empa not only produces new materials but also develops new products based on these materials, for example, to maintain health and productivity. While some researchers in the research program study the interactions between cells and implant surfaces, others work on projects concerned with predicting the lifetime of hard coatings on artificial joint implants in the human body. Coatings of diamond-like carbon (DLC) are already widely used in the automobile industry for wear protection. Their use on artificial joints has been less successful, as explained by Empa researchers (see

page 24/25). A layer of a few atoms thickness, formed between the DLC coating and the metal implant, corrodes under physiological conditions leading to delamination of the DLC. A stabile adhesion layer and a measurement procedure to estimate the life expectancy of the DLC coated implant have been developed. As a result of collaboration between the Empa and the med-tech company Synthes, these innovations are in the process of being put into practice.

Evaluation of Risks and opportunities The assessment of the opportunities and risks associated with new technologies, including nanotechnology, is an important task of the Empa. In order to motivate discussions between academia, industry and society, the Empa brought together the important protagonists at the 3 rd NanoConvention in 2009. National and international contributors presented developments from various sides at workshops, lectures and discussions, giving an insight into opportunities and risks, and venturing to forecast future prospects.

Optically transparent hard coatings of Al-Si-N can be used to generate colored wear resistant coatings when applied to reflecting surfaces.

Assembly of the confocal X-ray adsorption and scanning force microscope (Nano-XAS) at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI).

Contact

Prof. Dr Hans Josef Hug hans-josef.hug@empa.ch

Adaptive Material Systems

Intelligent materials for smart solutions In 2009, the Adaptive Materials research landscape in Switzerland was marked by the launch of the National Research Program 62 “Smart Materials”.

Next to offering an additional source of funding, this program confirms the strategic importance of this field of science and technology.

Empa researchers participated heavily in the call for projects – and were very successful in the acquisition of funding: 6 out of 21 approved projects had been submitted by Empa, thus showing that Empa’s research in the field of adaptive materials is extremely well placed in the Swiss R&D landscape.

CTI Innovation Briefing @ Empa In August 2009, a national dissemination event took place at the Empa Academy, sponsored by the the Innovation Promotion Agency (CTI). The goal was to increase the awareness of the Swiss industry for the tools made available by CTI to finance mixed academic/industrial R&D projects. Additionally, the focus of the event was put on adaptive materials systems, which also CTI considers an important vehicle for Swiss Industry to maintain its competitive edge through innovation. The event was organized and hosted

by Empa and was attended by about 200 persons. The presentations gave Empa a perfect opportunity to show its contributions in the field of adaptive materials systems to a public of interested decision makers.

Compliant Concept The Empa/ETH Zurich spin-off “compliant concept GmbH” is developing a dynamic bed retrofit system for care facilities that prevents pressure ulcers and helps optimize the care process for bedridden patients (see page 26/27). The system has received great interest in the healthcare sector. The spinoff “compliant concept”, founded only in May 2009, already won several important start-up awards such as venture kick stage I and II, the Heuberger Winterthur Jungunternehmerpreis and venture 2010. It is supported by the CTI start-up program, Genilem and glaTec, Empa’s technology center in Dubendorf.

The Blimp takes off: “Artificial muscles” made of electroactive polymers cause its body to change shape and the tail fin to move, lending it a fishlike motion which propels it through the air.

Doctoral student Marcel Birchmeier (right) shows a participant at the CTI Information Event the building condition monitoring system.

10 | 11 Completion of the Blimp Project 2009 also saw the completion of the EAP blimp project. The goal of this demonstrator project was to develop the world’s first bionic airship propelled by electroactive polymers (EAP). The airship was constructed at Empa in collaboration with aeroix GmbH and the Technical University of Berlin. This lighterthan-air vehicle with a length of eight meters consists of a slightly pressurized Helium-filled body with a biologically inspired form; dielectric elastomer (DE) actuators act as “artificial muscles” deforming the body and tail fin in a fish-like manner. While the airship itself was the tangible result of this research project, a great deal of knowledge about manufacturing, reliability and control of large DE actuators could be acquired along the way and will be the most valuable benefit for the researchers involved.

NFP 62 “Smart Materials” The innovation potential for intelligent materials is huge. Mastering of such new materials is a guarantee of competitiveness for Swiss industry, especially in the watch, machine, med-tech, pharmaceutical, energy and building technology sectors. As a cooperation program between the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Innovation Promotion Agency (CTI), the National Research Program “Smart Materials” (NRP 62) is committed to the development of new intelligent materials and advancing promising projects to the R&D stage. NRP 62 will operate with CHF 11 million for five years. (www.nfp62.ch)

A bed frame developed by the Empa spin-off “compliant concept” actively changes the position of a bedridden patient, so preventing the onset of bedsores – the scourge of clinics and hospitals.

Contact

Prof. Dr Edoardo Mazza edoardo.mazza@empa.ch Prof. Dr Paolo Ermanni paolo.ermanni@ethz.ch

Natural Resources and Pollutants

New technologies prevent further damage to the climate

Better catalytic converters – made more easily

The “Natural Resources and Pollutants” Research Program aims to find ways to reduce resource usage and pollutant emissions by our society. To achieve these goals appropriate technologies and environmental processes are being analyzed and technical solutions being developed. One particular focal area deals with climate-changing gases, above all carbon dioxide, CO2.

In addition to CO2 emissions, the release of other conventional pollutants must also, of course, be further reduced. One way of achieving this is by means of catalytic exhaust gas treatment. Empa has developed new processes, based on thermal spray techniques, for creating nanostructured catalytic surfaces. The catalytically active layer – the so-called “washcoat” – is created in a single step, saving a great deal of time in comparison to the conventional wet chemical, multistep process. Measurements show that catalytic converters made with the new process show the same or better catalytic capability, because of the improved distribution of the noble metals.

Making exhaust gas measurements with an electro-gas hybrid vehicle on the dynamometer test bed of the Empa.

Gas motors instead of petrol in hybrid vehicles Innovative drive technologies for road vehicles offer the possibility of making significant contributions to reducing CO2 emissions. Today’s hybrid vehicles are driven by a combination of a petrol engine and an electric motor, and the available driving performance depends of the state of charge of the battery.

Empa and the ETH Zurich have developed a new hybrid concept which is based on a turbocharged, low CO2 emission natural gas engine which provides the greater part of the driving power. The electric motor is used pri-

marily to compensate for the weaknesses of the low-volume turbocharged engine such as the poor starting torque and turbo lag effect.

A smaller and lighter battery can be used compared with conventional hybrids vehicles. In addition the developers have succeeded in linking both drive sources to the mechanical gearbox using one single clutch. This feature considerably reduces the technical complexity, and therefore the cost of the hybrid vehicle, which, compared with a petrol engine driven car of the same size and weight, emits one third less CO2 and yet maintains the same level of driving comfort.

Using an absorption technique based on the quantum cascade laser, Empa is measuring stable CO2 isotopes continuously, for the first time worldwide.

P iopipĂźi 12 | 13 Determining the origin of greenhouse gases Using a spectral absorption measurement technique based on the quantum cascade laser, Empa researchers have, for the first time, been able to continuously measure concentrations of the stable CO2 isotopes in the atmosphere at the High Altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch. The isotope patterns allow the scientists to differentiate between CO2 of biological origin, and CO2 which is created by burning fossil fuels. The combination of this measurement data with atmospheric transport models uncovers new methods of determining the origin of such greenhouse gases and allows emissions from various geographical regions to be identified.

50 Îźm

Polished micro section of an alkali-activated fly ash binder imaged under a scanning electron microscope. The round particles are fly ash, and the matrix between them is formed by the hydration products which lend the material its strength.

Fly ash makes cement production more environmentally friendly One significant industrial source of carbon dioxide is cement production, because in addition to the CO2 generated by the combustion of fuel for heating, during the firing of the cement clinker the chemically bound CO2 in the raw limestone is also set free. New types of cement are therefore required where other mineral products at least replace partially the cement clinker. One such possibility is fly ash, which is produced in large quantities in coal-burning power stations. Fly ash consists primarily of glassy aluminosilicates, and it helps to bind and improve the strength of concrete during setting, although significantly more slowly than cement does. Empa scientists are investigating ways to accelerate this process so as to be able to increase the proportion of fly ash used to make the cement. This would not only reduce CO2 emissions but also usefully recycle a waste product from another industry.

Contact

Dr Peter Hofer peter.hofer@empa.ch

Materials for Energy Technologies

Building the scientific basis for future energy technologies Mining raw materials to manufacture products that are simply thrown away after use is no longer an option – our raw material resources are limited and will not last for ever. Burning fossil fuels leads to climate change, and the disposal of radioactive waste is a global, unsolved problem. In this research program the researchers of Empa investigate the properties of materials and create the fundamental science for a sustainable, efficient and resource-miserly energy technology of the future.

Empa’s research activities in the energy field cover areas ranging from photovoltaic power generation using renewable energy from the sun via energy storage materials and systems to the conversion of stored energy into work and heat. Fundamental research is an important part of this activity just as applied projects with industry, demonstration projects and product development in start-up enterprises.

Thin, flexible photovoltaic cells Thin film solar cells made of inorganic semiconductor materials can be manufactured for less than US$ 500 per kilowatt nominal because of the small quantity of raw materials they use. The semiconductors involved are cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS), and their ability to absorb light so well means that they can be used to make flexible solar cells which are only two to ten microns thick. Silicon solar cells, in contrast, are usually up to 400 microns thick and are, in addition, rigid. In terms of conversion efficiency, CIGS cells already reach values of 16 per cent, a world record figure.

Flexible photovoltaic cells based on polymers with dye layers which strongly absorb light can also be produced cheaply. Using these cells Empa scientists have already achieved photoefficiency levels of three per cent, which again is a record for this type of material (see page 22/23).

Autonomous living module with hydrogen cycle Modern dwelling concepts demand innovative ideas for efficient energy usage. In the “Self” project (see page 28/29) Empa scientists are using a two-person living module which is independent of external supplies of water and energy to put though their paces systems for the synthesis, storage and use of hydrogen. The module is heated with hydrogen (H2), which is also used as fuel for cooking. Hydrogen is ideal for this purpose because it generates temperatures of between 200 and 700 degrees Celsius and is easily regulated. A burner containing ceramic fibers coated with platinum is used to generate heat. No source of ignition is necessary for the catalytic burning process and no environmentally damaging waste products such

A stove made of platinum coated ceramic fibers is used to burn hydrogen for cooking and heating in the “Self” living module.

14 | 15 as CO2 or NOx are created – just water vapor.

In summer the excess “solar current” generated will be used to create hydrogen by the electrolysis of water. The hydrogen will then be stored in tanks containing metal hydrides.

A hydrogen powered municipal vehicle

Thin film solar cells have reached a record breaking 16 per cent efficiency.

Empa and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have, together with Bucher Schoerling, Hydrogenics, BRUSA Elektronik AG und Messer Schweiz AG developed a hydrogen powered municipal street cleaning vehicle which was first seen in public in Basel in May 2009. The “Bucher CityCat H2”, as it is called, is the first such vehicle in the world to be powered by fuel cells and is being tested for 18 months in every-day operational use. Fuel cells use

hydrogen to generate electric power directly, which is then employed to propel the vehicle.

Since the CityCat’s exhaust contains only water vapor, the polluting effect in sensitive locations such as pedestrian precincts, railway station concourses or closed rooms (such as exhibition halls) is significantly reduced when compared to conventionally powered cleaning vehicles.

Biofuels – quickly tested for sustainability Together with the University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, (HTW) and the Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART, Empa has developed a rapid, web based test for determining the sustainability of biofuels. After the user enters the relevant parameters from the production process, the test software links these with background data and calculates the total environmental load which results. This is compared to predetermined sustainability criteria, from which the market chances of various biofuels in, say, the Swiss market, can be seen. The project was financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Contact

Prof. Dr Andreas Züttel andreas.zuettel@empa.ch The first street cleaning vehicle worldwide powered by fuel cells is being put through its paces during 18 months of day to day operational use.

Materials for Health and Performance

Ongoing service to keep well and fit

Research on Biomechanics to improve orthopedic implants

In order to improve medical implants, advanced materials are required.

New concepts benefit from comprehensive mechanical testing of the devices as well as from detailed studies of patients’ anatomical specifications.

In a set of interdisciplinary projects Empa researchers develop biomaterials, biofilm and biomolecules of high quality for use in many medical as well as technical applications.

In the orthopedic field successful medical interventions involving implants benefit greatly from biomechanical as well as patient-specific considerations of the medical problem prior to marketing of the device. For this computational and experimental biomechanics are relevant.

Computational biomechanics helps to understand the kinetics and kinematics within the musculoskeletal system and to predict deformations and stresses in orthopedic implants and in the surrounding tissues. Finite Element Analysis allows to model trauma implants, instruments, joint replacements, dental implants, rehabilitation equipment, bones and soft tissues. As this method gives information on stress and strain distributions as well as on deformations and reaction forces, it allows researchers to optimize the shape of the implants.

Experimental biomechanics deals with laboratory experiments and tests in order to characterize new orthopedic implants. Mechanical experiments on biomedical structures employ force, displacement and strain measurement sensors. Implants are tested in solution at body temperature in order to simulate physiological conditions. Research projects at Empa include e.g. the development of a proof test set-up for quality assurance of orthopedic components such as hip joint balls and numerical simulations of the musculoskeletal system in order to determine the loading in the joints and segments within the human body.

Bioreactor designed for production of microbial biofilms (Pseudomonas putida and Staphylococcus aureus ) under defined growth conditions.

Rigid body model of the lumbar spine used to calculate the ranges of motion and the facet forces at each vertebra level.

16 | 17 Bioprocesses

New Materials

Biotransformation and Biocatalysis

Empa’s interdisciplinary research on Bioprocesses involves molecular, microbiological, biochemical and biotechnological methods as well as process engineering and chemical analysis. The conversion of educts into high-value products by microorganisms or enzymes is one of the key activities. We develop biomaterials for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, vaccines and bioactive peptides as well as enzymes for the biosynthesis, modification and degradation of biomaterials.

The biotechnological production of new biopolymers and their chemical or enzymatic modification and functionalization are of interest to produce new biomaterials for medical applications. Such biopolymers are biocompatible and can be used in numerous ways: for the development of novel implants or scaffolds for cell growth, as carriers for enzymes and proteins in the chip technology, for the controlled release of antifoulants to prevent biofilm formation or as raw materials for the biotechnological production of novel pharmaceuticals. Empa researchers also produce “living biomaterials” in the form of standardized microbial communities on surfaces called biofilms.

Replacing individual steps or entire processes in chemical synthesis by enzymatic reactions often allows environmentally cleaner, sustainable production. Enzymatic catalysis can occur either in whole cells or with isolated proteins. At Empa we search for new enzymatic activities or improve existing enzymes or processes in order to achieve higher yields, better quality or purer products. We clone and express genes of various organisms in bacteria or fungi, isolate the resulting enzymes, characterize them and – if desired – improve them by genetic means to obtain novel features.

Model of a miniaturized enzyme with peroxidase activity comprising 11 amino acids plus a heme group. This system can be used for visualization of proteins in protein analytics.

Cys

His

Häm

Bacteria with improved enzymes for biopolymer synthesis: Staining with Nile Red indicates increased polymer synthesis.

Val-Gln-Lys-Cys-Ala-Gln-Cys-His-Thr-Val-Glu

Contact

Dr Katharina Maniura katharina.maniura@empa.ch

Selected Projects

Nanoelectronics thanks to “exotic” carbon forms

Carbon exists in different forms, well known examples being diamond and graphite. More “exotic” versions of the element include so-called fullerenes and graphenes. Empa researchers have been investigating in detail the latter forms, in particular their electronic properties, and have been attempting to modify them in specific ways in order to make them useful for nanoelectronics applications.

Fullerenes, the best known exotic form of carbon, are spherical in shape. The sixty carbon atoms in C60 , the most frequently-observed fullerene representative, take on the exact shape of a common football. It is possible to trap other molecules, including metallic compounds, within these “buckyballs”.

The resulting metallofullerenes demonstrate unique electronic characteristics which make them of interest to the IT industry for, as an example, “nano” data memories. Empa scientists, together with colleagues from Zurich University, the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the Leibniz Institute in Dresden, Germany, have been studying metallofullerenes which consist of 80 carbon atoms and a trimetal nitride unit. The latter is made up of a nitrogen atom and three metal atoms, the metal in this case being dysprosium, from the lanthanides group.

Data storage possible in principle In the course of their investigation the researchers deposited a molecule-thin layer of the metallofullerene on a copper surface. They then observed how the metallofullerenes oriented themselves on the substrate using a scanning tunneling microscope and photoelectron diffraction techniques at the “Swiss Light Source” (SLS), the PSI’s synchrotron

radiation source. They showed that the caged metal nitrides “sensed” the copper substrate and adopted suitable orientations. If now the enclosed metal nitride unit could be made to flip from one orientation to another by means of an external stimulus – much like a switch – this would create a completely new mechanism for data storage.

Creating “porous” graphene Graphene is another form of carbon of great interest to scientists. It consists of a two-dimensional sheet in which the carbon atoms are arranged in hexagons – much like the structure of a honeycomb. When graphene is rolled up it forms carbon nanotubes and when it is piled up in layers then it creates graphite. Graphene boasts some very special properties – it is harder than diamond, extremely resistant to tearing and is an excellent conductor of both heat and electricity. It is regarded as a potential alternative to silicon in the semiconductor industry. The first graphene transistors are not only much thinner than their silicon equivalents, they are also much faster. Scientists are attempting to modify the properties of the material in specific ways by inserting holes in the graphene of the correct size and distribution.

20 | 21

Its special properties make graphene a very interesting material for the IT industry.

The structure of “porous” graphene is reminiscent of a honeycomb (left a structural model of the polymer, right a scanning tunneling microscope image).

Metallofullerenes deposited on a substrate form ordered islands of identically oriented molecules.

If they could be made to flip from one orientation to another by means of an external stimulus – much like a switch – this would create a completely new mechanism for storing data.

(Color coded scanning tunneling microscope image)

Empa researchers, together with colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, have recently succeeded in synthesizing for the first time a graphenelike polymer containing pores of a precisely defined size. To achieve this they allowed molecular building blocks of specially “functionalized” phenyl rings to grow together to form an orderly two-dimensional network on a silver substrate. The result was a “porous” form of graphene, containing pores just a few atoms across in a pattern that repeated itself on a subnanometer scale. Until now porous graphene has had to be made using lithographic techniques, in which holes are etched into the graphene layer after it has been produced. Holes made by this technique are, however, not just significantly larger but also less evenly and less densely distributed than those created by the Empa scientists’ “bottom-up” approach.

A model of the metallofullerene structure under investigation. It consists of 80 carbon atoms (light blue) enclosing 3 dysprosium atoms (red) and a nitrogen atom (dark blue).

Contact

Prof. Dr Roman Fasel roman.fasel@empa.ch

The future of Solar power

The sun provides us with enough energy to meet all our long term energy needs in an environmentally friendly way. Empa scientists are developing solar cells, based on both classical, inorganic semiconductors and also on organic materials, and the necessary manufacturing techniques, so that solar power can be generated efficiently and economically.

The sun is a source of practically unlimited energy. Within a single half-hour it delivers to the Earth enough radiant energy to meet our entire worldwide annual needs. What could be more obvious than putting this energy to good use with photovoltaic devices which can convert sunlight directly into electrical current? In the past few years photovoltaic technology has made enormous progress and production costs have dropped significantly. As a result the market for solar cells has risen on average about 30 per cent annually over the last decade.

Solar cells collect the sun’s energy and convert it directly into electric current. (istock)

World record for flexible solar cells At Empa there are several research groups working simultaneously on different areas of photovoltaic technology, one of which is the further development of thin film solar cell based on inorganic semiconductor materials like cadmium telluride (CdTe) and CIGS (copper indium gallium (di)-selenide). The Empa researchers are aiming to have the best of all worlds, both in terms of materials and processing methods. Success and records are proving that they are on the right track! With a conversion rate of 12.4 per cent Empa’s flexible CdTe solar cells are world record holders. For flexible CIGS solar cells on polymer

foil the current value for Empa material is as high as 16 per cent, eclipsing by a significant margin the institute’s own previous world record of 14.1 per cent. The latter is still the highest independently-verified value measured worldwide to date. The secret in making these high performance solar cells lies in an Empa specialty, namely the low temperature coating process for polymer films. The active layers are applied to the substrate at temperature of less than 450 degrees Celsius instead of the 600 degrees usually used for coating glass. This allows the coating to be applied to polymer films, which are light and

flexible. Additionally they can be coated in roll form, making the manufacturing process significantly cheaper.

Flexible thin film solar cells “made by Empa”. In addition to improving the efficiency of the solar cells, the researchers have also focused on developing economic manufacturing processes.

22 | 23 Ready to transfer technology to industry Another direction of research led to the development of 18 per cent CIGS thin film solar cells on glass substrates; with application of anti-reflection coating the efficiency will increase to above 19 per cent. With a low temperature processing CdTe solar cells with 15.4 per cent efficiency are also achieved on glass substrates. CIGS and CdTe solar cells are known for excellent intrinsic stability, long term high performance and potentially low production cost. The technologies developed at Empa are ready for transfer to industry.

Rough organic heterojunctions

Dyes in solar cells

In addition to classical semiconductor-based photovoltaics, Empa scientists are also interested in developing organic materials such as polymers which promise to be economic to produce. This project is, however, still in its early stages. In this type of solar cell the active layer usually consists of two materials, one of which acts as an electron donor and the other as an electron receptor. Sunlight creates molecules in “excited states” in the active layer, which then diffuse to the junction of the donor and acceptor material layers. Here, an electron transfer takes place, creating a positive and negative charge. The shorter the distance to this interface between the donor and acceptor layers and the larger its surface area, the more frequently these electron transfers occur. The Empa researchers have therefore developed a new, two-stage process which gives them more control over the structure of the interface surface. In the first stage a mixture of the active material and a “guest” polymer is used to create a thin two-component layer with a very convoluted boundary surface between them. In the second stage the “guest” polymer is removed and replaced with the second active component.

Another alternative is offered by dyes, similar to those used in photography. These molecules allow the creation of extremely thin layers, obviating the need for the interface to be structured. The Empa team has already gone a step further by synthesizing dyes which only absorb light in the near infra-red (NIR) range. Since NIR light is invisible to the human eye, such substances – and the solar cells made using them – are colorless, which means that they could be applied to window panes.

Organic solar cells “made by Empa”.

As an alternative to the established organic polymers, Empa scientists are also using dyes, already familiar from photographic techniques.

Contact

Prof. Dr Ayodhya Tiwari ayodhya.tiwari@empa.ch Dr Frank Nüesch frank.nueesch@empa.ch

Diamond-like coatings for long-lasting artificial joints

Extra hard coatings are used to extend the operating lifetime of drill bits, computer hard drives and automobile components. If they work so well with tools and mechanical parts, then why not in artificial joints for humans too? In theory, they could. Practical experience shows, however, that such coatings often fail. Empa researchers have discovered why this is so, and developed a process which allows them to predict the usable lifetime of a coating in the body.

Nowadays most drill bits found in a store have hard coatings, and for professional tools this feature is of course a must. The coatings, recognizable by their shimmering gold, gray or black surfaces, improve the frictional properties of the part and reduce wear. One particular hard coating known as Diamond-like Carbon or DLC has proven its value in computer hard drives, saw blades, embossing tools, razor blades, fuel-injection nozzles and various other automotive components. What could be more logical than putting the especially wear resistant and long-lived DLC coating onto medical implants too, for example artificial joints? This would not only extend the operating lifetime of the implant, it would also avoid the creation of the 50 000 nanometer sized particles which are rubbed off a conventional joint with every step the patient takes, and which may cause inflammation and other unwanted effects in the body.

CoCrMo

Metal Carbides k rac

C en

Op Only visible with high resolution analysis instruments: bodily fluid has penetrated into a crack (light zone) about five nanometers wide in the reaction layer between the implant (CoCrMo) and the DLC layer. This leads to the detachment of the coating.

DLC

10 nm

24 | 25

Empa scientists discovered why the implant coatings detached, and together with industrial partners developed a method of predicting the expected operating lifetime of an implant in the human body prior to implantation. (iStock)

Top in the laboratory

Various damage mechanisms

DLC has withstood endless tests in the manufacturer’s laboratory and has shown itself to be well tolerated by human tissue, extremely hard wearing and resistant to the relatively aggressive environment in the body. Despite this, when DLC was used in the human body serious problems arose. The coatings were not worn away by mechanical processes, as might have been expected. Instead, after several years of use, and for no apparent reason, they detached from the surfaces of the implant, mostly alloys of cobalt-chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo) or titanium aluminum niobium (TiAlNb).

At this point Empa became involved. It was only detailed studies of the boundary layers – the contact surfaces between the different materials – using high resolution analysis techniques such as Focused Ion Beam (FIB), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) which led to the answer. The boundary layer represents the deciding factor, as the Empa research team discovered in the course of a project financed by the Swiss Innovation Promotion Agency (CTI) and the medical technology company Synthes GmbH. When two materials adhere well, the uppermost atomic layer of one material reacts strongly with the lowest atomic layer of the other material. This creates a zone which is only a few atoms thick – the reaction layer, a new material. The scientists showed that it is this intermediate layer, which is often overlooked because it is so thin, that was responsible for the detachment of the DLC layer since it is not a priori corrosion resistant.

As an example, in one case stress corrosion cracking occurred in the thin reaction layer between the two materials. The mechanical loading of the part in conjunction with the penetration of body fluids led to slow growth of the cracks, which in turn caused the coating to detach from the DLC-substrate after some years in vivo. In addition to adhesion promoting corrosion-stable interlayer, Empa in cooperation with Synthes and the coating company Ionbond is developing a process which allows the crack growth rate under similar conditions to those met in the human body (in vitro) to be determined. This then permits scientists to calculate the expected operating lifetime of the coated implant in the human body.

In another case implants failed in vivo due to coating delamination, crevice corrosion was responsible for the damage. Over time an aggressive, acidic medium develops in fine crevices, slowly dissolving the intermediate layer which provides adhesion between coating and substrate. After several years this caused the unexpected failure of the implanted joint. The test process developed at Empa was also successfully used with this damage mechanism to be able to predict the expected operating lifetime or time to failure of these implants.

Contact

Dr Roland Hauert roland.hauert@empa.ch

“Intelligent” beds help fight bedsores

Bedsores – or decubitus ulcers, as they are known in medical jargon – are a constant problem in hospitals, nursing homes and clinics because of the severe pain they cause to long-term bedridden patients and the enormous effort required to treat them. In the battle against bedsores researchers from the Empa spin-off “compliant concept” have developed a retrofit system to treat this condition with the aim of simplifying the elaborate treatment currently necessary and bringing the costs down to reasonable levels.

A healthy person changes position several times an hour when asleep, a subconscious protection mechanism. Long-term bedridden patients, on the other hand, are generally not capable of doing this due to their poor physical condition. When a part of the body is subjected to pressure as a result of the body’s own weight over an extended period, this can cause a decubitus ulcer, or bedsore in common parlance. The pressure prevents the blood from circulating properly in the affected part, which no longer receives an adequate supply of oxygen and therefore gradually dies. What makes the condition so debilitating is that bedsores heal very poorly and they are extremely painful. In severe cases the wound may be so deep that the sufferer’s bones or inner organs are exposed, and then bedsores can be life-threatening.

To prevent bedsores staff in a clinic or nursing home must move patients every two or three hours to a new position. The continuous necessity for this activity represents an enormous physical burden for the nursing staff and frequently causes them muscular pain and back problems. To turn a patient weighing 70 kilograms in bed requires not just a special technique but also a good deal of strength.

Lack of trained nursing personnel According to a study by the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan) and the “Careum” Foundation, by the year 2030 there will be a shortfall of up to 190 000 staff in the healthcare sector. Already today there is a lack of trained healthcare staff. Putting this another way, the currently available personnel are forced to care for more patients than they should, a situation which can have extremely grave consequences for bedridden patients in the form of bedsores, which can develop within just a few hours.

While it is true that there are some aids to the prevention and treatment of decubitus ulcers available on the market, these all suffer from significant disadvantages. Either they require a great deal of effort by nursing staff to use, or they have negative effects on the perception and bodily sensations of the sufferer, or both. The latter effect can lead to further disorientation and demobilization of the bedridden patient.

The Empa spin-off “compliant concept” “compliant concept’s” novel nursing system is the work of an interdisciplinary team that includes Emeritus Professor of Medicine Walter O. Seiler. The research and development work is carried out by erstwhile Empa researchers.

The prototypes are produced by the Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil, and the following firms: Festo AG, Bigla Care, Wissner-Bosserhoff, Nauer AG, Sarna Plastec AG, Produ-Plast AG, and Qualicut AG. Practical know-how is provided by OBA AG, a specialist for nursing bed mattresses. In medicinal areas “compliant concept” is advised by the Swiss Paraplegics Center and the University Hospital, Basel.

Empa and the ETH Zurich act as consultants for technical matters.

26 | 27 With “smart” materials against decubitus The Empa spin-off “compliant concept” has developed a novel nursing retrofit system which imitates the movements which a healthy person makes during sleep and should therefore prevent patients in hospitals and nursing homes from developing bedsores. A cleverly designed system consisting of an active slatted frame made of “intelligent” structures together with a special mattress should ensure that a bedridden user does not remain in the same position for too long. Instead the patient is so gently shifted around that he or she hardly notices the movement, thereby helping to prevent the onset of bedsores. In addition this can also encourage the patient to use his or her remaining mobile capability. The novel system was developed by researchers from “compliant concept” together with the Hochschule für Technik, Rapperswil, and private industry, with financial supported from the Swiss Innovation Promotion Agency (CTI). The device should help to significantly reduce the level of effort necessary by nursing staff, freeing time for them to devote to other tasks and allowing them to offer more intensive care to their patients.

Critical locations for bedsore development are identified using a pressure sensitive mat, in order to optimize the control of mattress movement.

Joint-free, compliant ribs for an adaptive car seat concept.

Relieving pressure is also helpful for truck drivers on long delivery trips.

Contact

Dr Michael Sauter michael.sauter@empa.ch

Self – a prototype for future living

The two sister research institutes Empa and Eawag are putting new building concepts and energy technologies to the test with “Self ”, a modern dwelling module for living and working.

The module is self-sufficient in terms of water and power consumption, and comes complete with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

The “Self ” living module requires no external water or electric supplies.

In March it endured wintery conditions on the shores of Lake Sihl near Einsiedeln.

The “Self” dwelling unit is conceived as a living and working module for two people. It is the size of studio flat or small apartment and is independent of external supplies for water and electric power. Since “Self” is easily transported and can be located practically anywhere, it is particularly suitable for temporary use in a very wide range of applications – as a mobile research station, for example, or as a dwelling for event organizers, or even a live-in advertising unit. The possibilities are almost endless!

Two students of the Zurich University of the Arts have chosen the Empa concept house for their final-year degree project. They have been working at Empa since 2008 on the implementation of their design study. As a research and demonstration project, “Self” is intended to prove that it is possible to live without restrictions on the level of comfort enjoyed – at least temporarily – even though only natural sources of energy are used.

28 | 29 Independent of external water and electricity supplies

Putting the latest building technology to the test

“Self” is 7.7 meters long, 3.45 meters wide and 3.2 meters high. Weighing in at just about six tons, the dwelling cube is light enough to be transportable by truck or helicopter. The main challenge for the designers was how to integrate the technology, supplies and physical space efficiently and without loss of comfort. The technical know-how, on the other hand, was provided by Empa and Eawag as well as partner institutions and companies.

In order allow for two people to be able to live in the module for extended periods without external supplies of water and electric power, rainwater falling on the roof is collected and treated to provide drinking water. At the same time lightly contaminated waste water (“gray water”) is also recycled.

Hardly any of the “Self” module’s features reflects the “state of the art” available on the open market. In fact nearly everything is made of specially designed and tailor made components. The building shell, for example is made of fiberglass reinforced polymer sandwich sheets, and thermal insulation is provided by high performance vacuum panels. A heat exchanger warms up fresh incoming air using heat from the exhaust air stream, the water filter uses practically no electric power and the toilet uses only one liter of water per flush.

In addition the project is being used to put the practical uses of hydrogen technology to the test – that is, the production, storage and usage of hydrogen for such purposes as cook-

ing and heating. The hydrogen is produced by electrolysis using environmentally friendly electrical power generated by solar cells on the roof of the module. Until it is needed the hydrogen is stored in containers filled with metal hydrides, also an Empa-developed novelty.

“Self 1” destroyed by fire On Good Friday 2010 a technical fault led to the complete destruction of the “Self 1” living module. Despite this serious setback, Empa is determined to continue with the project and plans for a “Self 2” are already being drawn up. The results of the investigation into the cause of the fire and the operational experience gained so far will be taken into account.

“Self ” combines technology, utility supply and space usage efficiently and yet without loss of comfort, as illustrated by the images.

Clockwise: living room, kitchen, sleeping quarter, washroom/shower. (Boris Adolf)

Housing technology in limited space. (Boris Adolf)

Contact

Mark Zimmermann mark.zimmermann@empa.ch Dr Adriano Joss adriano.joss@eawag.ch

Bromine and chlorine free flame retardants

Application of flame retardant to textile materials makes them resistant to heat and flame. Empa scientists have developed organo-phosphorous compounds which offer an alternative to the conventional, controversial, halogenated flame retardants.

A small fire can very quickly turn into a disaster. If it breaks out in a closed room, people inside have just few minutes to get to safety.

After this time the chances of survival drop dramatically because fire can easily spread incredibly fast. Even large rooms such as cinema halls, theatres and discotheques can rapidly become death traps in the event of fire.

To help prevent fire accidents, stringent regulations are enforced to ensure that only appropriate materials are used, i.e for textiles used for theatre curtains and upholstery for aircraft seats. Flame retardant additives for textiles are intended to increase their resistance to heat and flame exposure, thereby increasing the chance of people to escape fire accidents.

In addition to fire safety considerations, textiles must also meet other requirements, some of which demand very high performance.

They must be resistant to various mechanical and chemical actions during various manufacturing processes. Textiles which are in-

tended to be worn or sat upon must also feel comfortable to the skin. Textiles are regularly washed and thus should retain all original flame retardant properties and confer to flame retardant regulations even after repeated washings. Additionally, flame retardant textiles must be economical.

An alternative to halogenated flame retardants Halogenated compounds containing bromine and chlorine were for a long time the flame retardants of choice. Over the past few years they have raised environmental concerns.

Some of them decompose very slowly and accumulate in the environment, and uncontrolled incineration may release highly toxic substances such as halogenated furanes and dioxins into the atmosphere. Thus, their usage is regulated and some of them are banned.

Formaldehyde is used as an active ingredient in some textile flame retardants to help covalent linkage to substrates. Formaldehyde is considered as a carcinogen, and thus formaldehyde-free textile flame retardants are needed. Existing formaldehyde-free cross linking agents cannot be used with all types of flame retardants and hence search for newer formaldehyde-free crosslinkers is also gaining importance.

When fire breaks out, closed rooms can rapidly become death-traps. For this reason stringent regulations are applied, such as those governing the choice of textile materials. (iStock)

30 | 31 Alternative flame retardants containing phosphorous

In addition to fire safety considerations, textiles must also meet other requirements, some of which demand high performance. They should, for example, as far as possible be comfortable to wear.

250

HRR, W/g [1% P]

200

150

TEP PAHEDE

100

DEPA Untreated cotton

50

Possible alternatives are phosphorous based flame retardants. Empa researchers have been investigating a class of organic phosphorous compounds known as a phosphoramidates.

The core of these molecules is a phosphorous atom linked to three oxygen atoms and a nitrogen atom. Scientists are able to link different functional groups to the oxygen and nitrogen atoms to create potentially new flame retardants. The newly synthesized compounds are then applied to cotton textile materials and their flame resistance and thermal decomposition property for the treated material is further analyzed. The tests show that cotton treated with phosphoramidates carbonizes cotton at a lower temperature than the untreated material, and also releases less heat during the decomposition process.

The flame retarding characteristics can be improved by using more suitable functional groups on the phosphoramidate molecule. In general these phosphoramidates possess properties which are similar to or even better than conventional flame retarding agents. In future studies researchers intend to modify the phosphoramidate molecules to contain functional groups which can crosslink to substrates on their own.

0 100

200

300

400

500

T [°C]

Heat release measured with untreated cotton textile compared to those treated with various flame retardants (TEP, PAHEDE, DEPA). Treated cotton begins to thermally decompose at lower temperatures and releases less heat – in the case of PAHEDE only about 50 per cent of that released by untreated cotton.

HRR: Heat Release Rate in Watt/gram, measured with a pyrolysis combustion flow calorimeter. 1% P: Flame retardant content: the total phosphorous content is maintained at 1 per cent by weight of the cotton.

Contact

Hansruedi Schmid hansruedi.schmid@empa.ch

The placenta: “filter” for nanoparticles?

The question of whether nanoparticles have an effect on the human body – and if so, then how – touches on an area about which not much is known. There is little information, for instance, on whether pregnant women exposed to these minute particles pass them on to their unborn babies. Scientists from Empa and the University Hospital Zurich have been studying this question with the help of a human placenta perfusion model.

The unborn child is supplied with nutrients and oxygen via the placenta, which also ensures that the two blood circulation systems do not mix. (iStock)

Nanotechnology is not only expected to help overcome existing challenges in the worlds of medicine, energy supply and environmental protection, it is also regarded as the motor of innovation for the Swiss economy. However, this new technology will only be able to establish itself over the long term if the potential risks associated with it – such as those posed by free nanoparticles – are fully investigated and understood.

Over several years, Empa researchers have been studying the effects which various nanoparticles have on human cells and tissue. This investigation will help scientists to understand what problems – if any at all – these tiny things might cause when released into the human body (and in the environment). As part of this effort, two years ago scientists from Empa and Zurich’s University Hospital began research on the NP transport across the placenta, an organ which acts as a filter between the mother and her unborn child. Responsible for supplying the fetus with sufficient nutrients and oxygen, the placenta also ensures that the circulatory systems of the mother and fetus do not mix.

32 | 33 Is it a barrier for nanoparticles?

1 μm

During the investigation polystyrene nanoparticles were injected into the mother’s blood supply. Scientists then observed whether these were able to pass into the baby’s blood supply.

The researchers wanted to know if nanoparticles were able to cross the placental barrier.

Established animal models, such as those for mice and rats, cannot be used for this purpose as the placenta in these creatures is fundamentally different from that of the human being. Normally it is not easy to carry out scientific investigations on placental tissue, but several mothers who gave birth to their babies in the hospital agreed to allow the researchers to use their placentas for this study.

In the laboratory it is possible to maintain both the mother’s and the baby’s circulatory systems (which are closely linked) for several hours in these donated organs. The investigation required the researchers to add fluorescent polystyrene nanoparticles to the mother’s blood circulation and then observe if they were able to pass into the fetal circulation. Polystyrene particles are particularly suitable for this kind of test as they do not cause stress in the surrounding tissue and are easily detected.

Both the mother’s circulatory system and that of the fetus can be maintained for several hours in the laboratory.

Learning to understand the transport mechanism The particles injected into the placenta were of different sizes, ranging from 50 nanometers up to half a micron (500 nanometers).

The first result of the study was that the cutoff size of the beads was between 200 and 300 nanometers. Particles smaller than this range, crossed the placental barrier and entered the fetal circulation while larger particles were held back. The fact that particles below a certain cutoff size are able to pass through to the placental tissue to the fetal circuit is not really unexpected, but the phenomenon must certainly be subject to further study. The investigators from Empa and the University Hospital Zurich are therefore keen to understand the mechanism by which the particles are transported across the barrier – in both directions. They are not doing this purely for the love of research, though.

They would like to determine how, in future, nanoparticles might be used for therapeutic purposes. The tiny particles could feasibly be employed as a vehicle to transport medicines in a targeted fashion to the circulatory system of an unborn child, without this affecting the mother’s health.

Contact

Dr Peter Wick peter.wick@empa.ch

Artificial tendons made of biopolymers

Surgeons are using synthetic materials to treat torn tendons ever more frequently. An interdisciplinary team of Empa scientists has developed a synthetic tendon made of bicomponent fibers which degrades in the body after completing its job of providing support to the damaged tissues.

Vastus lateralis

Vastus medialis

Achilles‘ tendon

Calcaneous

Even the thickest tendon in the body, the Achilles’ tendon, can snap when subject to extreme loading such as when playing tennis or snowboarding.

Tendons do an incredible job – an Achilles’ tendon, for example, can carry about ten times the body’s weight. In order to understand what material properties make tendons so amazingly strong and tear-resistant, and to apply this knowledge to help develop novel synthetic tendons, Empa engineers, biologists and textile scientists began work on the “PHATendon” project. They carried out a literature search, questioned medical experts and tested sheep tendons in the laboratory to study such things as their properties under tension. At the end of this phase of the project, the scientists knew all the mechanical parameters necessary to make an “ideal” tendon.

The idea behind the research was to develop an artificial tendon which was biocompatible, elastic and could withstand heavy loads.

The synthetic tendon would provide support to a torn human tendon and allow it to repair itself, but only remain in the body for as long as necessary for the healing process to complete. The body’s own cells would attach themselves to the temporary substitute and multiply, gradually replacing the damaged tissue.

After a suitable period of time, the synthetic material would degrade and disappear.

Polymers harvested from bacteria and spun into fibers Bacteria provide the required material. Researchers from Empa’s Biomaterials Laboratory cultured micro-organisms in a bioreactor which produce polyhydroxyalkanoates or PHAs, a family of natural biopolyesters. These biopolymers have different characteristics depending on which bacteria are used to produce them and what fatty-acids they are fed on. To be useful for making artificial tendons the material must not only be well tolerated by the body, strong and elastic but also easy to purify and capable of being spun into fibers.

The purified biopolymer material was then made into fibers in Empa’s Melt Spinning Plant. Specialists from the institution’s Advanced Fibers Laboratory used a method with which they can spin filaments made of several components, allowing different biopolymers to be married together. In this manner it is possible to exactly configure the required characteristics of the final product, for example how long it takes to decompose in the body. The biopolymer which the project team believes has the greatest potential has a core of polyhydroxyalkanoate and a sheath of polylactate.

P iopipüi 34 | 35 Biocompatibility and mechanical tests successful

200 µm

Woven material of multicomponent fibers (see arrow) is surrounded by denser connective tissue cells.

10 mm

The biopolymer fibers, which are produced in Empa’s Melt Spinning Plant, are woven into fabric and used as implants for in vivo experiments on rats.

100 µm

Connective tissue cells (fibroblasts, see yellow circles) growing on a textile surface made from biosynthetic material.

Researchers from the Materials-Biology Interactions Laboratory have studied the biocompatibility of the raw material in cell cultures with human cells known as fibroblasts. The fibroblasts attached to the bicomponent fibers and grew along them, completely surrounding them after a few days.

The spun filaments were then woven to textiles and then tested for elasticity, stretchability and tear resistance in the Mechanical Systems Engineering Laboratory. Scientists used the same test bed with which they had measured the ovine Achilles’ tendons at the start of the project. The result: The data on the new Empa tendons were similar to that measured with sheep tendons.

To ensure that the synthetic material did not cause any negative effects in animals, medical experts from project partner AO Davos implanted artificial tendons made of the woven polymers into rats and observed them for four months. Initial results of investigations made by the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich showed that the muscle tissue surrounding the artificial tendon was not inflamed and that the animals did not react to the implant as a foreign body. Thanks to these encouraging results Empa can now begin further development of the synthetic tendons in cooperation with a partner from the medical technology branch.

Contact

Dr Manfred Zinn manfred.zinn@empa.ch

Precise microstructuring of glass fibers

To develop a lens which is smaller in diameter than a human hair and yet focuses light very accurately calls for the use of special methods.

Empa researchers have managed to optimize the “Focused Ion Beam” technique to allow them to fabricate curved structures with high precision.

This process is of interest, for example, in the manufacture of prototypes in the fields of photonics and microelectronics.

Nowadays the use of glass fibers is no longer reserved solely for special applications – they are also used in private households. Glass fibers are probably the best known form of fiber optic waveguides, transmitting signals optically in the form of light pulses, rather than electrically as in conventional copper wires. Optical transmission techniques offer much higher data rates, that is, the quantity of information transmitted in time – up to levels of Terabits per second. Data-intensive computing applications profit most from this high transmission rate, including for instance the exchange of information between computer centers and banks or universities, but also internet downloads and telephony or online gaming.

Glass fibers are not only used for long distance data transmission though. They are being used ever more frequently to interconnect microelectronic components such as processors within a rack or on a circuit board. Photonics deals with both optical transmission as well as optical processing and data storage techniques. In order to ensure that the data transmission between individual components functions correctly it is necessary to control the shape of the light beam as it enters or leaves the glass fiber. One way of doing this

is to integrate a microlens to the end of the fiber. Scientists involved in research and, in particular, prototype manufacturing are particularly interested in this method, which allows them to create three-dimensional structures on the nanometer scale in an extremely precise and reproducible manner.

As thin as a human hair Glass fibers are very fine structures. The fiber consists of a core which has a diameter of just five to ten micrometers and a cladding with a diameter of 125 micrometers, which is about the thickness of a human hair. The light beam is transmitted through the core. Layers of synthetic material surround the fiber to protect it and make it more robust. In order to shape the end of a fiber into a microlens a Focused

1 µm

The “Focused Ion Beam” instrument is ideal for precisely shaping fiber optic devices, for example glass fibers.

The electron microscope image shows a section through a microlens created using the FIB.

36 | 37 Ion Beam or FIB system can be used. This instrument works in the same way as a scanning electron microscope, though it uses ions instead of electrons. Not only can it be used to image surfaces, it can also be used to shape them, with ions knocking out atoms from the surface in a controlled way. However, it is difficult to precisely shape three-dimensional structure in this way because non-linear effects arise in deep structures with steep slopes required to form microlenses. Despite this problem a team of Empa researchers has succeeded in optimizing the FIB process to fabricate the required structures with high precision.

Glass fibers are becoming ever more popular for telecommunication applications.

With diameters about that of a human hair, precise methods must be use to shape their ends. (iStock) 1.0

Normalized intensity

0.8

Optimized method produces the required structures After shaping the microlens the researchers measured its dimensions in order to check its quality. Because the focal length was only about five micrometers and the light is focused to a point less than a micrometer across they had to use a special measurement system known as Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope or SNOM. While optical microscopes are not suitable for viewing such small objects due to the diffraction limit, the SNOM sidesteps this problem by only using light which is exchanged between the microscope probe tip and the object itself, which is scanned very close to the surface. This gives a resolution well below the diffraction limit.

The test results demonstrated that the measurements with the SNOM and computer simulation data were in satisfactory agreement.

The FIB is therefore an ideal instrument to shape locally various kinds of optical structures such as photonic crystals, crystal fibers and planar waveguides, as well as glass fibers themselves with high precision.

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0 -2

-1

0 Transversal direction [Âľm]

1

Empa researchers test the quality of a microlens by comparing the optical properties calculated by computer simulation (red line) with the measurements made with the SNOM (blue circles).

2

Contact

Dr Rolf BrĂśnnimann rolf.broennimann@empa.ch

Unwanted legacy from glaciers

Everything that a glacier collects and conceals in its ice mass over a period of many years eventually comes to light when it finally melts.

This is also true for so-called POPs (persistent organic pollutants), man-made organic substances which break down very slowly under natural conditions. Empa researchers have analyzed sediment layers taken from a glacial lake and have been able to identify the melting glacier as a secondary source of these long-banned substances.

When glaciers shrink as a consequence of global warming, the receding tongue exposes items that have been concealed in the ice mass for decades or even centuries. This includes chemical substances which were banned years ago such as POPs, persistent organic pollutants which degrade very slowly. Belonging to this category of chemicals are compounds used for example as plasticizers (softening agents) and pesticides, as well as dioxins. Many of these POPs are endocrine disrupters, carcinogenic and are suspected of interfering with the development of humans and animals. In addition they are extraordinarily long-lived and can be trans-

1990

1989 1988 1987

1986

1985 1984 1983 1982 Taking samples from Lake Stein. In order to adequately stabilize the drill used to extract the sample cores the lake must be frozen.

Scientists can read the sediment layers in a drill core like the rings in a tree trunk. (Eawag)

38 | 39 ported huge distances through the atmosphere, which explains why they are found practically everywhere across the globe – even in glaciers, in the middle of high alpine ecosystems, some of which are extremely fragile.

Drill cores extracted from a glacial lake When glaciers melt, the runoff washes the POPs out into glacial lakes, where they sink to the bottom and accumulate in sediment.

This has happened – and is still happening – in the Lake Oberaar, which has been investigated by a combined research group from Empa, ETH Zurich and Eawag. This lake, an artificial reservoir formed upstream of a dam built in 1953, lies in the Bernese Oberland close to the Grimsel Pass at an altitude of 2300 meters above sea level and collects melt water from the Oberaar Glacier. In the winter of 2006 scientists extracted drill cores from the sediment of the frozen lake, cut them into slices and freeze-dried the samples. Empa

chemists analyzed the different layers of sediment and were able to confirm that from 1960 to 1970 large quantities of POPs were produced and emitted into the atmosphere, with some accumulating in the bottom of alpine lakes. It was also clear that the banning of these substances at the beginning of the 1970’s resulted in a massive reduction in their concentrations in sediment layers dating from that period.

Renewed increase of POP levels in most recent sediment layers At least as impressive, and just as surprising, was the fact that the concentrations of POPs in the most recent sediment layers were found to be increasing. The levels of these chlorine

containing substances at the end of the 1990’s was actually higher in some cases than in the 1960’s and 70’s. One possible explanation for this phenomenon lies in the fact that the lake is primarily fed by melt water runoff from the Oberaar Glacier, whose tongue has retreated by about 1.6 kilometers since 1930.

In the past decade alone it has shrunk by 120 meters and has therefore recently released a relatively large quantity of stored pollutants.

This proves for the first time what environmental researchers have long suspected, namely that glaciers represent a secondary source for the renewed emission of POPs and similar pollutants into our ecosystems which must be taken seriously.

Scientists from Empa, ETH Zurich, PSI and Eawag – including chemists, glaciologists and sedimentologists – are now planning to study the pathways which pollutants take in the “eternal ice” in more detail. The aim is to find out how glaciers store POPs, what paths they take within the glacier, what chemical changes, if any, they undergo when subject to strong UV light and whether we can expect to see even higher levels of these pollutants in the future.

Contact

Dr Peter Schmid peter.schmid@empa.ch

In Empa’s laboratories the different sediment layers were analyzed for various chemicals, including POPs.

Dr Christian Bogdal christian.bogdal@chem.ethz.ch Prof. Dr Flavio Anselmetti flavio.anselmetti@eawag.ch

A first step to the hydrogen society

Using hydrogen as a fuel could free us from our dependency on oil, gas and coal. However, in contrast to the naturally occuring fossil fuels, hydrogen must first be produced – by using renewable energy, of course. Empa has developed a conceptual design for such a system, based on the sustainable hydrogen cycle, for its site in Duebendorf.

Photovoltaic cells could be installed on the roofs of the buildings on Empa’s Duebendorf site, an area of some 5500 square meters. They would provide power for the electrolysis plant, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Empa’s hydrogen specialists have set themselves an ambitious target – together with an interdisciplinary team of scientists, they aim to make the dream of setting up an environmentally friendly hydrogen based energy supply at the institution’s Duebendorf premises come true. In a few years the roofs of the buildings on the site could all be a shimmering blue color, for up to 5500 square meters of roofing could be used to support a large photovoltaic system, about as large as a soccer field in fact. The electric current generated by the solar cells would be used to power a new, appropriately sized electrolysis system which splits water into its constituent elements hydrogen and oxygen.

The hydrogen so produced should be enough to fuel around a score of motor cars, which is about the entire fleet of Empa and Eawag vehicles. Instead of obnoxious gases, only harmless water vapor would emerge from their exhaust pipes. In addition, several Empa laboratories would be able to make use of the hydrogen as a raw material.

One controversial point, however, is whether photovoltaic systems make sense in Central Europe’s rather cloudy climate. On the subject of energy supplies in the post fossil fuel age, one automatically tends to think of enormous solar farms in the Sahara or other desert areas of the world. Despite this, Empa’s experts point out that the amount of solar en-

ergy which falls on the Duebendorf site is still half that in the desert regions of the Earth.

Bearing this in mind, they are convinced that photovoltaic power generation will pay off in Central Europe too.

Implementing the project despite a lack of funding The cost of the planned hydrogen project is estimated at CHF 1.5 million. To Empa’s disappointment, no public funding organization is willing to support the idea of installing a hydrogen cycle plant on its premises. Despite this blow, the researchers plan to implement the system one step at a time. The pilot project involves several of Empa’s core research

40 | 41

Hy dr o

Storage

H2

) (H 2

n ge

H2

O2 e-

H

OH-

H2 O

Photovoltaics

H2O

Oxygen (O2)

eH2O

O2

Oxygen (O 2)

Electricity

Electrolyte KOH/H2O Anode

Cathode

Production (Electrolysis) at W

er

areas, above all photovoltaics and combustion engine research.

The institution’s own on-site refueling station will shortly be converted to supply natural gas, giving scientists the opportunity to gain experience in handling gaseous fuels and laying the groundwork for developing a safe and simple hydrogen fuelling system.

The other components necessary to complete the installation, such as the electrolysis plant and the hydrogen storage system, should also be constructed during 2010 in the course of research activities.

(H

2O

The theory behind the hydrogen cycle: the environmentally friendly production of hydrogen is made possible by using solar energy.

) Materials Science & Technology

Conversion into work

Contact

Prof. Dr Andreas ZĂźttel andreas.zuettel@empa.ch

Hydrogen (H 2)

O2 OH-

Direct conversion of waste heat into electricity

Empa scientists want to be able to generate environmentally friendly electricity from heat (in particular from solar and waste heat) with the help of ceramics known as perovskites. Thanks to their suitable structure these metal oxides are able to convert heat directly into electric current.

The conversion process is neither based on mechanical nor on chemical processes, and is solely a function of the materials properties.

They are known as thermoelectrics – materials which produce electric current when a difference in temperature is applied within them. The process involves no noise, no wear, no emissions and very low climate changing effects. Empa researchers are engaged in developing suitable materials which can be used to make this phenomenon practically useful.

Thermoelectrics are not new, but the materials used to date contain the rare and therefore expensive metal tellurium, which is also poisonous. Not only that, they are stable only to about 300 degrees Celsius and have a conversion efficiency of merely eight per cent, factors which have so far limited their usage to niche applications in e.g. space crafts. The aim of Empa’s scientific team is to develop non-toxic, stable, efficient and – not least – economic thermoelectric materials.

The most internationally renown scientists met at the second “Thermopower Symposium” held at Empa in July 2009 and presented their latest results along with the Empa researchers reporting on ceramic thermoelectrics with perovskite-type structures.

Crystalline converters for a sustainable energy technology Naturally occurring and artificial perovskites consist of positively charged metal ions (such as calcium and titanium) and oxygen. Crystals of the mineral perovskite are frequently black or reddish-brown in color, and have a very stable structure which allows accommodating various elements from the periodic table. Depending on the chosen composition the very attractive properties of memers from this family of compounds can be modified in a desired way to obtain novel functional materials for future energy applications. In air they are exceptionally stable, and can therefore be used in high temperature applications, e.g. to convert concentrated solar energy at up to 2000 degrees Celsius or to convert waste heat from exhaust gases of combustion processes.

What is special about perovskites lies in their flexible crystal structure, which allows significant changes in their chemical composition And depending on their particular formula they demonstrate different conductivities;

Perovskite crystal structure.

they can be insulating, semiconducting, metal like conducting or even superconducting.

Good thermoelectrics are showing a high Seebeck coefficient (or thermopower), excellent electrical conductivity and very low thermal conductivity. The Empa team aims to reach this goal by nanostructuring the material. Further optimization of the thermoelectric material was achieved in the laboratory when the researchers substituted certain atoms in the perovskite-type structures. In other words, they synthesized new materials whose ability to convert heat into electrical energy will be improved by understanding the influence of the structure and composition on the thermoelectric properties to systematically tailor improved materials.

In contrast to conventional thermoelectric materials, the charge carriers in perovskites

P iopipüi 42 | 43

The TOM (thermoelectric oxid module) energy converter developed by Empa scientists.

move by “hopping”. This process is very dependent on the neighboring atoms in the crystal lattice and can therefore be modified in specific ways by suitable material design techniques. The Empa scientists have succeeded in significantly raising the energy per charge carrier (the “spin-entropy”), and therefore in improving the thermoelectric power of the new material. A special form of calcium manganate has so far proven to be the best n-conducting perovskite thermoelectric in the world. As a next step, the research team plans to demonstrate the suitability of the new energy conversion system for real life applications such as using the waste heat from an internal combustion engine or concentrated solar radiation to generate power.

The Seebeck effect A difference in temperature across an electrical conductor causes a difference in electrical potential and therefore a voltage across it. This phenomenon, known as the thermoelectric effect, is named after Thomas Johann Seebeck who discovered it in 1821. On the warmer side of the conductor the free electrons have greater kinetic energy and move increasingly to the colder side, where the electron density increases, thereby creating a potential difference.

Heat distribution along a thermoelectric energy converter.

Contact

Prof. Dr Anke Weidenkaff anke.weidenkaff@empa.ch

sonRAIL: a computer model for quiet trains

Empa’s acoustics specialists have developed a computer model which allows them to calculate noise levels along the entire Swiss rail network.

The simulation software models the ways in which noise is created and propagated, and how it is dampened. The results show where residents near to railway lines are exposed to particularly high levels of noise and how this can be reduced.

The free movement of goods in Europe has led to an increase in the quantities of cargo transported – and therefore to more rail traffic. In Switzerland, the rail network is filled to capacity during the day with passenger services; freight is moved mainly at night.

The problem is that goods trains are particularly noisy, and they operate when most people are asleep.

If the policy of diverting freight traffic from road to rail is to be a success, then freight trains must be made significantly quieter.

The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has therefore given Empa together with other partners the task of developing a computer model to calculate noise levels along the railway lines of the national network. The ultimate aim is that sonRAIL, the name given to the model, should show where and which noise reducing measures should be applied for maximum effect.

While it is true that a two meter high acoustic barrier efficiently reduces the rolling noise generated by train wheels, the drone of the ventilation system on the roof of a low-floor coach remains a nuisance. In order to correctly evaluate how railway noise affects nearby residents and to indicate how this might be minimized, Empa’s acoustic scientists had to collect an enormous quantity of data. They

had to identify and measure every source of noise, and then determine sound propagation, as well as amplification and damping effects.

Rail vehicle noise depends on many factors How intense the noise of a rail vehicle is, and how badly it affects local residents depends on a host of factors such as the type of train involved, the track bed characteristics and the topography of the surrounding area, whether buildings reflect or dampen the acoustic energy, and the current state of the weather. Only when all these parameters are factored into the calculation is it possible to exactly quantify the noise level. Even the time of day plays a part in the model – the noise generated by trains at night not only seems to be louder, it actually is.

During a three year period Empa scientists carried out noise emission measurements on some 15 000 passing trains at 18 locations in Switzerland (in the foreground to the right the measuring equipment).

Noise is emitted by different parts of rail vehicles: not just the wheels at track level but also the pantograph and cooling system on the roof.

P iopipüi 44 | 45 Enormous quantities of data required for the computer simulation During the development and validation of the sonRAIL noise simulation model Empa researchers and their project partners carried out acoustic measurements on about 15 000 trains as they passed 18 different locations between 2007 and 2008. At each data collection point they also measured how rough the rail surface was and how strongly the track vibrated. It could be shown that with smooth rails the noise level could be reduced by up to ten decibels, which is a quite respectable halving of the sound intensity, right at its source.

Rolling noise could also be reduced if the materials used for the track superstructure – the rails, sleepers and ballast – are carefully chosen. The Empa team intends to devote a successor project to investigating which material combinations and rail track construction techniques reduce wheel noise most effectively.

Usage in practice sonRAIL can be used by federal government and local authorities as well as other interested parties to evaluate noise levels and abatement measures for existing and planned railway routes. The model not only predicts the noise levels at individual buildings, it can also be used to create large scale noise level maps. As the first practical use of the model, the Empa team calculated noise levels along a part of the primary north-south corridor through Switzerland. This 50 kilometer length of track passes 30 000 buildings and is lined with 17 noise barriers. The calculation has been running day and night since the beginning of 2010 on 40 processors of Empa’s “Ipazia” computing cluster. In the first six weeks of the simulation an area of some 340 square kilometers was analyzed and the noise levels at 172 000 locations along the rail track determined.

Research and industrial partners – Technische Universität Berlin, Rail Vehicle Dept.

– Prose AG – LCC Consulting – SISE – Railway Research Organization, Berlin – Sulzer Innotec – PSIA Austria

Noise emissions due to rail traffic along the track can be precisely analyzed and predicted using computer models.

Contact

Dr Jean-Marc Wunderli jeanmarc.wunderli@empa.ch

Empa Inside

Technology Transfer

Transforming research results into marketable products Working with Empa pays off! The institution offers private companies and public organizations access to high-tech infrastructure and governmental support. In addition, everyone involved benefits from the exchange of ideas and experience which take place. In 2009 the number of cooperative research projects rose significantly with over seventy agreements being concluded.

The aim of the Technology Transfer team at Empa is to take the results of applied research and transform them into marketable innovations. The team assists and advises research groups, for instance, in negotiating agreements with industry to commercialize the results of their work.

To protect its intellectual property rights, Empa filed 20 patent applications in 2009.

The institution’s patent portfolio currently encompasses 48 “patent families”. In addition, twelve new licensing agreements were signed with industrial partners, thus securing income which Empa uses to finance new research projects and to intensify its technology transfer efforts.

Espresso machine uses power from fuel cell Empa is participating in a project partly financed by the Swiss Innovation Promotion Agency (CTI) in which an innovative system for electrical power supply of the espresso

Empa is taking part in a CTI project to develop a system to power espresso machines on the mobile minibars on Swiss trains with electricity generated by fuel cells. (SBB)

machines on minibars in Swiss trains is brought to market readiness. Novel is that the power is generated by fuel cells. The other partners involved are Elvetino and Swiss Federal Railways, Serto, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Information Technology (Biel) and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). Empa’s contribution lies in the development of a metal hydride storage system which makes optimal use of the waste heat from the fuel cell to aid the release of the stored hydrogen.

Soft magnetic components – optimized for electric motors At the focus of another CTI financed project is a soft magnetic material for use in brushless electric motors. The new material is intended for magnetic cores or flux-guiding applications, making possible the production of powerful, low-loss motors. The project demands interdisciplinary know-how on motors and process design, as well as on soft magnetic materials, and therefore involves the participation of as many as four Empa laboratories and three industrial partners from the metal and motor branches.

High-tech tuning for force microscopes Empa researchers have succeeded in combining an atomic force microscope (AFM) with another instrument designed to measure the macroscopic physical properties of materials, known as the Physical Properties Measurement System or PPMS. The new, high-performance combined device can be used, for example, in developing tomorrow’s magnetic hard-drive storage systems. This technology

P iopipüi 48 | 49 was licensed to NanoScan AG in 2009 and the Empa spin-off company has already begun to market the instrument. In addition, last year NanoScan AG signed a cooperative agreement with the German firm IONTOF, already an Empa partner in a current EU project.

New cladding material with ideal properties for interior use Materials used within living areas can have a significant influence on the well being of the inhabitants of buildings. Empa has developed a material for use in wall and ceiling cladding elements which absorbs humidity, dampens noise and is both fire resistant and environmentally harmless. As if that were not enough, it also cleans the air in a room while being resistant to mildew and biological decomposition. Prototype sheets of this new multifunctional material are as strong and cost the same as conventional cladding elements. A licensing contract with an industrial partner is under negotiation.

The PPMS-AFM combines the atomic force microscope with an instrument for measuring macroscopic physical properties. (r-to-l) Raphaëlle Dianoux, Managing Director of Nanoscan AG, and Hans Josef Hug, Head of Empa’s Nanoscale Materials Science Laboratory.

Innovation Prize 2009 for the development of a bicomponent fiber Concrete is frequently strengthened with steel fibers when reinforcement with heavyduty steel mesh is not necessary, for example in the construction of thin cellar walls, industrial flooring, cement plates, tunnel cladding or for sprayed concrete applications. Steel fibers have disadvantages, however – they can rust, they are stiff (and so can injure workers) and they are heavy. An Empa team, working in cooperation with an industrial partner and supported by CTI, has developed an economic polymer fiber which can withstand high levels of mechanical loading. A new manufacturing technique is used to produce these bicomponent fibers, which have a core of cheap polypropylene (PP) surrounded by a thin sheath of tailor-made polymer material suitable in chemical and mechanical terms for use with cement-based building materials. The project was honored with the Empa Innovation Award 2009 as being an excellent example of the transformation of research results from the science laboratory into practical industrial applications.

Contact

Bicomponent fibers used to reinforce concrete are delivered as a “Powerpacket” which is simply added to the cement mixture. The packaging dissolves during mixing, releasing the fibers which then are distributed evenly throughout the mass.

Marlen Müller marlen.mueller@empa.ch

Technology Centers

glaTec and tebo – fertile grounds for start-up companies Empa’s two technology centers, glaTec and tebo, act as a bridge between science and industry by bringing young firms nearer to the institution in both physical and thematic terms. Despite the difficult economic situation, some of the enterprises in the two “business incubators” are enjoying a good deal of success.

A winner from glaTec Duebendorf The 4th Heuberger Winterthur Young Entrepreneur’s Award 2009 represents a success story for the glaTec technology center located on Empa’s Duebendorf site. One of the winners, and recipient of CHF 150 000 prize money, is the Empa spin-off company compliant concept GmbH. This young firm, which is supported by glaTec, has developed an intelligent bed system which is designed to prevent bedsores in long term bedridden patients (see page 26/27). The heart of the bed consists of a set of compliant systems researched and developed by Empa, the ETH Zurich, and the University of Applied Sciences in Rapperswil. In contrast to conventional mechanisms the flexibility of compliant systems is based on elastic deformation of the material itself, and not on the sliding and rolling of rigid components. compliant concept GmbH is the second glaTec start-up company to receive this renowned award, the first being Optotune AG in the year before.

The team from compliant concept GmbH (l-to-r): Adrian Baerlocher, Michael Sauter, Jonathan Wehren and Gisbert Doerr.

P iopipüi 01 | 51 50 06 bluesign® conference draws textile decision makers to the tebo The economic crisis has also left its mark on the companies in the tebo technology center located on Empa’s St. Gallen site, although with varying effects. While one young startup had to temporarily reduce the working hours of its employees, other firms “merely” suffered drops in turnover at the beginning of the year. One good example of significant development under difficult circumstances is the young firm bluesign technologies ag. A stream of new partners, primarily from Asia, and numerous commissions to carry out onsite evaluation work based on the principles defined by the bluesign® standards show how successful the company’s business activities were in 2009. The large number of decision makers from the textile industry attending the bluesign® conference in July 2009 bears witness to the importance of this standard.

Under the motto “Gain Trust – Take Responsibility”, over a hundred bluesign technologies ag partners, from all stages of the textile manufacturing and value chain, discussed the topic of sustainability in the production and marketing of textile materials. In a resolution following the UN decade of “Education for Sustainable Development”, participants pledged to support the voluntary education of school children in regard to the environment, behavior and attitudes, and sustainable consumption.

There were other changes in tebo too. Three companies moved out and three new ones moved in, as did a group from the University of St. Gallen’s “Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence” (CEE). This is the visible result of increased cooperation between the tebo, the University of St. Gallen, and also the University of Applied Sciences St. Gallen in encouraging young entrepreneurs in Eastern Switzerland.

Podium discussion with (l-to-r) Greg Scott (Mountain Equipment Co-op), Jeff Nash (The North Face), Jill Dumain (Patagonia) and Richard Collier (Helly Hansen) during the bluesign® conference.

Contact

glaTec

Mario Jenni mario.jenni@empa.ch tebo

Peter Frischknecht peter.frischknecht@empa.ch

Empa Academy

Innovation “Made in Switzerland” – topics for discussion Over 2 500 specialists drawn from the worlds of the economy, the professional associations and governmental administration took part in the various events held at the Empa Academy in 2009. Almost as many scientists discussed the very latest research results at conferences, courses and expert lectures held over the same period. In addition, the Science Apéros organized by the Academy attracted around 400 interested visitors.

Experts from the textile industry catching up on the latest developments in their field at the Innovation Day in September.

Symposia for specialists For the fourth time the “Innovation Day” for the textile industry took place at the Empa Academy. About 200 participants from business, research and educational fields were offered insights into “Adaptive Systems – the future is flexible”. Among the items presented was a multi-component fiber with a special liquid in its core which acts as a flexible shock absorber. The fiber can be used to make comfortable protective vests which only become rigid when subject to a rapid shock.

Intelligent materials and systems face a promising future – science and politics are in agreement on this point. Many Swiss companies are, however, investing only cautiously in research and development in these times of economic crisis. To change this state of affairs the Swiss Innovation Promotion Agency (CTI) and Empa invited some 200 guests from industry and science to the national Innovations Briefing on “Smart Materials” at the Empa Academy. Participants were informed of the Federal Governments steps to encourage investment and the new NFP 62 “Smart Materials” National Research Program. Experts from Empa and other research institutes presented their latest projects and illustrated the ways in which science and industry could successfully cooperate. The event enabled the CTI and Empa to get over the message that they were willing, able and ready to support industry and SMEs to exploit the advantages offered by the revolutionary market of the future which “intelligent materials” represents.

P iopipüi 01 | 53 52 06 Science apéros – sources of information on current topics

NanoConvention 2009 – overcoming challenges with “Nano”

Whether in the steel construction industry, information technology field, the textile sector or cosmetics – nanotechnology has something to offer to everyone. The 40 th Science Apéro in Duebendorf was therefore devoted to the numerous opportunities made possible by this innovative technology. The 200-odd guests listened attentively to the speakers and discovered that “Nano makes a difference!”

“What next after Oil ?” was the subject discussed by some 140 people at the 41st Science Apéro. Held at the Empa’s St.Gall site, the theme of the 42nd event in the series was Electro-mobility, an alternative method of providing the freedom of movement so dear to us all.

Whether in the field of medicine, in the sustainable energy supply sector or in the world of environmental protection, the challenges which the future holds are hardly to be mastered without the help of nanotechnology.

The 150 or so visitors with an interest in nanotechnology, drawn from research, industry, the administration and the financial world, who attended the 3rd “NanoConvention” in Zurich on July 6 th were all convinced of this.

At the same time, the event also concluded that it was essential to take a close look at the potential risks the new technology might bring in its wake, such as that from free nanoparticles.

A gifted communicator at the NanoConvention 2009: Bertrand Piccard – researcher, visionary, pioneer of solar flight. He enthralled the public with his “Solar Impulse” project.

At the Science Apéro on Electro-mobility held at Empa in St.Gall, interested visitors had the opportunity to take both e-bikes and e-scooters for a test spin.

Contact

Dr Anne Satir anne.satir@empa.ch

Science in Dialog

Research also means taking responsibility Innovations and new technologies have a huge impact on our everyday lives.

It is, therefore, essential that society conduct an open discussion on beneficial and “not-quite-so-beneficial” developments. For as long as anyone can remember Empa’s activities have dealt with the interface between science and society, and the institution is intensively engaged in encouraging dialog between the two by virtue of, for example, special events and guided visits though its laboratories.

A successful premiere: Dennis Meadows (right), coauthor of the ”Club of Rome” study ”The Limits to Growth”, thanks Xaver Edelmann, President of the WRF and member of Empa’s Board of Directors.

The Peruvian Environmental Minister Antonio Brack shows his interest in the latest Empa projects in the area of resource efficiency and life-cycle analysis.

As was the case for the 3rd “edition” of Empa’s NanoConvention in 2009 (see page 52/53), nanotechnology also played the primary role in the public lecture series entitled “Opportunities and Risks of Nanotechnology”, held at the University of St.Gall and organized for the first time by Empa researchers. Around 300 interested persons attended the six events, in which topics such as nanomaterials for medicine, innovative nanotextiles and the effects of “nano” on the environment, society and health were illuminated from different angles and discussed in detail.

In September Empa, together with the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) and other partners, organized the first “World Resources Forum” (WRF) in Davos, an independent, international discussion platform devoted to the topic of our planet’s rapidly dwindling resources. Empa and its partners are, through the WRF, explicitly pursuing the

P iopipüi 54 | 55

Cristina Garmendia (middle), the Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation, meeting young researchers from Spain and South America working at Empa.

aim of delivering realistic recommendations to enable politicians to make informed decisions for a sustainable development. At the closing of the forum participants released a declaration – a “Call for Action” – with suggestions for tackling the shortage of resources.

International guests visiting Empa’s laboratories During a visit to the institution, the Peruvian Environmental Minister, Antonio Brack, seized the opportunity to learn the latest details of Empa’s research and development projects in the areas of resource efficiency and life-cycle analysis. Thanks to various research projects in China, India and South Africa (among others) and through its technical monitoring of Swiss e-Waste recycling operations, Empa has many years of experience in the implementation of environmentally friendly recycling measures. In Peru the institution is responsi-

Empa staff who organized the public lecture series ”Opportunities and Risks of Nanotechnology” at the University of St.Gall: (l-to-r) Peter Wick, Katharina Maniura, Bernd Nowack, Harald Krug, Marcel Halbeisen, Manfred Heuberger.

ble for the supervision and implementation of future e-Waste recycling projects.

Another guest was the Spanish Minister for Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia.

Spain would like to strengthen its cooperation with Swiss researchers and accelerate the process of technology transfer to its industry – a topic of outstanding importance also to Empa. After being shown around the laboratories and taking part in a discussion with young researchers from Spain and Latin America, the Minister expressed admiration for the breadth of the institution’s research portfolio.

Science and technology transfer were also central to visits by high ranking representatives of the governments of several autonomous republics and regions of the Russian Federation, the aim being to intensify economic cooperation. Empa’s technology centers, tebo in St.Gall and glaTec in Duebendorf, met with great interest in this context.

Youngsters with enthusiasm for science and technology Once again in 2009 Empa researchers participated in the “TecDays” at several cantonal High Schools, an initiative by the SATW to foster interest for the natural sciences, engineering and technology in the young. Specialists from the worlds of science, technology and industry offered the youngsters an overview of their research activities. One of the cofounders of the event (and member of Empa’s Board of Directors), Pierangelo Groening, was proud to have been awarded excellent marks by the young audience for his lecture on nanotechnology.

Contact

Dr Michael Hagmann michael.hagmann@empa.ch

Marketing

The “Portal” – Facilitating access to Empa’s know-how As a central contact point for clients and partners, the Portal facilitates their access to Empa’s vast range of experience and know-how. The Portal team comes into its own particularly when dealing with inquiries which require interdisciplinary solutions, arranging contact between the external partner and the appropriate Empa specialists.

Whether searching for partners for new research projects, technical and scientific consultation, analyzing samples or investigating damage claims – the Portal puts potential clients and partners in touch with the relevant experts on the Empa staff, or advises them whom to contact elsewhere. In the latter case, the external partners recommended are frequently spin-off companies from the institution, and in this manner the Portal assists these fledgling enterprises with their Empa-derived technologies.

But the Portal’s activities are not just limited to finding answers to the hundreds of enquiries and questions yearly. Portal staff also proactively makes contact with industry, for example at exhibitions and events such as the Swiss Innovation Forum in Basel, where the project “hy.muve” was presented. This is a hydrogen powered road cleaning vehicle developed jointly with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and other industrial partners. At the time it was being put through its paces in first real-life practical tests on the streets of the host city.

The Portal team also organizes events themselves, one such being the Swiss-Swedish Nanotechnology Workshop held at the beginning of 2009 for specialists from science and industry. At this event for the first time a Science Speed Dating was arranged. This technique, usually used by lonely singles to find a partner, was “adjusted” to help researchers find partners to establish scientific projects. The aim of encouraging as many Swiss-Swedish alliances and ideas to develop into cooperative projects as possible was very successful – the first applications for funding for EU projects have already been submitted.

”Speed Dating” has also proved successful as a method of forging business partnerships. The photograph shows participants at the Swiss-Swedish Nanotechnology Workshop held at Empa.

Contact

Dr Verónica Cerletti portal@empa.ch

P iopipüi International PhD Program Switzerland – Poland 01 | 57 56 06

The WUT – NIMS – Empa cooperation thrives Nearly five years ago, the Empa, together with the two well-known technical universities of Krakow and Warsaw, founded a joint graduate school in the field of materials science, the International PhD School Switzerland – Poland.

Two years later, the Japanese “National Institute of Materials Science” (NIMS) joined the International PhD Program. In 2009, the 2nd WUT-NIMS-Empa workshop on nanomaterials was held at NIMS’ Tsukuba site.

In 2009, the third call for projects within the framework of the International PhD Program was held and closed successfully. Out of seven applications five were recommended for acceptance by the Advisory Board and granted funding by Empa’s Directorate.

In November, the 2 nd WUT-NIMS-Empa Workshop was held at Empa’s Japanese sister institution, NIMS, a little over one year after the first meeting in Warsaw. The event took place in Tsukuba and was organized by Andreas Doenni (NIMS), Jolanta JanczakRusch (Empa, Director of the PhD Program) and Krzysztof Kurzydlowski (Warsaw University of Technology, WUT). The main goal was to stimulate the international exchange of (young) scientists between the three institutions. A total of 21 presentations on the topics of nanomaterials, biomaterials, as well as energy and environment were given by experienced researchers, as well as by PhD students.

First joint projects of the “Cohesion billion” In November 2006, the Swiss electorate approved of the Swiss Contribution to support the new member states (NMS) of the European Union, the so-called Cohesion Billion.

Poland is one of the EU-NMS investing in Joint Research Projects (JRPs) with Switzerland. To offer interested partners from Switzerland and Poland an opportunity to meet and to sketch out proposals, Empa and WUT organized the “Swiss-Polish (SciTec) Days” in Warsaw in mid-January 2010. The 2-day gathering started with keynote lectures, introducing the research landscape of the respective countries in the five call areas: nanotechnology, energy, environment, health and ICT. In parallel focus sessions with short presentations from Swiss and Polish researchers, followed by a poster session, participants could meet, discuss and sketch out project ideas with potential partners. The call for JRPs was published in April 2010.

The poster sessions of the ”Swiss-Polish SciTec Days” in Warsaw attracted substantial interest and allowed the participants to actively discuss joint Swiss-Polish research projects.

Contact

Prof. Dr Jolanta Janczak-Rusch jolanta.janczak@empa.ch

Facts and figures

Facts and figures

Scientific Output

Alongside qualitative outputs which provide an indication of the manifold and extremely interesting results of Empa’s research activities, quantitative data delivers an important yardstick by which the institution’s performance can be measured. The number of ISI publications has been continually rising over recent years, and increased markedly in 2009 from 406 to 472 (+16%). Similarly encouraging was the number of successful submissions for new projects to organizations offering research funding. The number of CTIsupported projects rose from 68 to 74 over the past year, and SNSF funded projects from

Dissemination of Knowledge / Technology Transfer 58 to 69. At 51, EU financed project numbers remained practically stable at a satisfactorily high level (2008: 53).

Scientific contributions by Empa staff to national and international conferences once again rose slightly from 1067 to 1099 (of which 456 were as “invited” or “key note speaker”).

The institution acted as organizing or co-organizing body for 90 conferences in 2009.

The work of Empa staff members was recognized through 30 prizes and awards.

SCIENTIFIC OUTPUT

ISI publications of which SCI publications

2008

2009

406

472

348

399

1067

1099

Doctorates completed

31

34

Initial patent applications

Conference contributions

11

20

License agreements

9

12

Spin-offs and start-ups

4

3

2921

3349

Empa Academy events (incl. longer than one day)

83

103

Prizes and awards

23

30

Teaching activities (in hours)

As ever, over the past year too the institution’s activities in the areas of teaching, dissemination of knowledge and technology transfer represented an important focal point. The number of teaching appointments rose from 138 to 143, and in parallel the number of teaching hours given by staff increased from 2921 to 3349 of which about half were at the ETH Zurich. Holding over 100 further education and information events (+24%) the Empa Academy provided a lively platform for knowledge transfer and communication with specialists from science and the economy as well as interested members of the public. In addition to this the institution participated actively in a number of external events such as the Research Night and the Swiss Innovation Forum.

Cooperative work with industry once again proved to be very successful. Empa’s Technology Transfer office was responsible for a total of 271 agreements with third parties (up 14% compared to last year). 20 patent applications were made (up 82%) and 12 licensing, option or sale of patent contracts were signed (an increase of 33%).

The progress of the “glaTec” technology center, established in autumn 2008, has been cause for great satisfaction. The combined activities of a new spin-off and the young companies already in residence generated 20 new workplaces in 2009 and in addition during this period two more start-ups, which enjoy very close working relations to Empa, moved in to the glaTec premises.

60 | 61 Personnel

The institution has always held the view that an efficient way of transferring scientific and technical know-how is by passing on to competent industrial partners technically advanced and established services which have reached an adequate level of maturity and are therefore market ready. One such example is the transfer in November 2009 of

Empa’s routine services in the fields of metallography, fractography and damage analysis of metallic materials and components to the ASIT Swiss Association for Technical Inspections. In taking over the entire know-how (including the Empa team responsible) the ASIT has been able to complement its existing services portfolio in the field of technical safety monitoring in an optimal manner.

DEVELOPMENT IN NUMBERS OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS AND SCI/E PUBLICATIONS 472

450

406

400 371

350

300 275

271

250

200

191

150

153

154

132

120

100

166

162

99 90 67

67

50 30 16

0 2001

2002

Doctorates in progress (including students not employed by Empa)

2003

2004

2005

Completed doctorates

2006

2007

2008

Publications: SCI/SSCI SCIE

2009

At the end of 2009 Empa employed 943 staff (2008: 915). Taking into account the large number of part-time positions, this is equivalent to 868 full-time workers, representing once again an increase on the previous year’s figure. The proportion of scientifically qualified staff has once again been increased, as a consequence of the expansion in the institution’s research activities, from 501 to 515 persons. Of these 22 (20) hold professorial posts at a technical university. Over the past year 34 (31) doctoral dissertations were completed and at the end of this period the number of doctoral students employed by Empa rose slightly from 110 to 115. There was a marked increase in the number of post-docs, from 64 to 75. Institution staff supervised 105 (106) undergraduate students working on their final-year projects and offered practical positions to a further 77 (86) young persons. With the wide range of occupational learning facilities it offers, Empa took responsibility for training 37 (38) apprentices. Once again in 2009 all its apprentices passed their final examinations. The number of technical and administrative personnel (including apprentices and those doing practical training) rose to 428 from 414.

At 27.5% (2008: 27%), the proportion of female employees rose slightly. The number of women holding managerial positions also increased from 17 to 20. Non-Swiss staff represent 37% (35%) of Empa employees, numbering in total 352 (321), of which 264 (250) originate from EU countries.

Facts and figures

Finances

More limited term positions were made available during the year for In 2009 total revenues accrued amounted to CHF 150.9 million. This post-docs, doctoral students, undergraduates and students engaged was made up as follows: CHF 91.8 million in federal funding contriin practical projects, primarily due to the expansion in scientific work. butions (CHF 87.8 million in the previous year), additional federal As a result the number of limited term employees rose to 459 from economic stabilization funds totaling CHF 7.8 million, income from 428. The average contract duration remains unchanged, being deterthird party funding, services rendered and miscellaneous sources of mined by the usual agreements governing the employment of doctoral CHF 50.8 million (compared to CHF 43 million in 2008), and financial students and postdoctoral staff. income of CHF 0.5 million (CHF 0.3 million). Revenues from services In addition to the wide range of training and further education courses rendered, including miscellaneous revenues, rose by CHF 0.6 million offered, in 2009 Empa once again placed emphasis on leadership trainin 2009 to CHF 13.3 million. Included in the federal funding contriing. This management training, which is strategy-based and structured bution is income from project-oriented fund allocations made by the in a modular fashion, and includes proven leadership techniques and ETH-Domain Competence Centers amounting to a total of CHF 1.7 miltools has been resolutely continued and provided to a wide section of lion (CHF 1.3 million). staff. The annual management day event was devoted to the topic of Income from third party funding for R&D projects was 24.1% up on Finance and Controlling. the previous year, at CHF 36 million compared to CHF 29 million. FiEmpa is the holder of the “Family UND Profession” signet, awarded nancial support from the Swiss National Science Funds (including by the “UND – Family and Profession for Men and Women” specialist NCCR) more than doubled in comparison to 2008, to CHF 5.2 milcenter. This signet is simultaneously an obligation and an encouragelion. Funding from the CTI was also significantly higher, rising from ment to the institution to act in a family-friendly way and foster equal CHF 5.1 million in the previous year to CHF 7.8 million in 2009. Deopportunities, and also to take a leading role in the future in these arspite the difficult economic situation, commercially oriented research eas. Regardless of their gender, nationality, language, location, profescontributions from private funding sources happily remained practision, age or position in the organizational hierarchy, all Empa employcally unchanged at CHF 8.6 million (CHF 8.8 million in 2008). Fundees enjoy identical esteem and appreciation, and are offered optimal opportunities for further self-development. Diversity STAFF as of 31.12. 2009 – in other words variety and plurality in society – is recognized as an important precondition for successfully overcoming complex challenges requiring new ways of thinking. In 2009 CATEGORIES 2008 2009 this idea was integrated into the institution’s personnel policy as a new foundation stone and a plan of concrete measure to Scientific staff 501 515 encourage diversity and equal opportunities was developed. of which professors 20 22 This includes factors such as conditions of employment, equal of which doctoral students 110 115 opportunity measures, the integration of foreign staff and staff of which scientific staff excl. professors & PhD students 371 378 training and development at all levels. Several of these measTechnical and Administrative staff 414 428 ures, including the introduction of teleworking, the expansion of which apprentices 38 37 of child-minding facilities and various steps to raise the proTotal (incl. part-time staff) 915 943 portion of female staff holding responsible positions, have already been implemented.

62 | 63

STATEMENT OF INCOME

(in millions of Swiss francs)

2008

2009

87.8

91.8

0

7.8

Revenue Federal funding contribution Federal economic stabilization funds Third-party funding

29

36

12.7

13.3

Miscellaneous

1.3

1.5

Financial income

0.3

0.5

Released from reserves for projects

1.0

0

132.1

150.9

91.6

100.6

Income from services rendered

Total revenues

Expenditure Personnel costs Holiday allowance adjustment

1.1

1.0

Materials

6.2

6.2

Operating expenses

38.2

40.1

Reserves set aside for future commitments

-0.6

-0.9

Reserve increase for current projects

0

2.6

136.5

149.6

-4.4

1.3

Fixed assets

10

11.1

Movable assets

6.9

10.9

Total expenditure for current activities

Balance

Investment

Information technology Total Investment

0.6

0.7

17.5

22.7

ing contributions from European research programs at CHF 6.5 million also remained at about last year’s level (CHF 6.3 million). In comparison to the previous year, allocations from the departmental research budget rose by CHF 1.2 million (+15.3%) to CHF 7.8 million.

The third party funding contribution of, in total, CHF 50.8 million covered about 33.9% of total expenditure.

Total expenditure amounted to CHF 149.6 million (CHF 136.5 in 2008), of which the largest single item by far was personnel costs. Due to amongst other factors the increase in project staff over the reporting year (22 more full-time positions) and salary adjustments, this figure increased by CHF 9 million to CHF 100.6 million. Of the remaining expenditure a sum of CHF 40.1 million was used for running expenses and CHF 6.2 million was used to cover the purchase of materials.

Disbursements of CHF 0.9 million were made from reserve funds.

Investments in building, apparatus and equipment amounted to a total of CHF 22.7 million in 2009 compared to CHF 17.5 million in 2008.

Building investment costs including a credit transfer from the federal economic stabilization funds totaled CHF 11.1 million (CHF 10 million).

Investment in moveable assets increased significantly from CHF 6.9 to 10.9 million during the year, while that in Information Technology rose only slightly to CHF 0.7 million compared to CHF 0.6 million in 2008. The profit and loss account balance amounted to CHF 1.3 million (CHF - 4.4 million).

Facts and figures

Construction & Operations

In addition to numerous small projects, 2009 was notable for the federal economic stabilization fund contributions. These measures are intended to help ensure that equipment and buildings are well maintained and that the on-site energy consumption is optimized.

For these purposes Empa received CHF 7.8 million additional funding, which will be used on the following large projects (some of which are planned and others already completed): – In the Motor Building various energy conservation measures are planned: modifications to allow a lower supply temperature for the heating system, a new ventilation system with waste heat recovery facilities which also allows use of the waste heat from the engine test bed to warm the building. The pressurized air system has been refurbished using smaller, energy saving air compressors. The heat generated by the air pressurization process will be used to generate warm water and to heat the surrounding buildings. The plant is now connected to the site control system “Gams” which pro-

vides permanent monitoring. Parts of the façades of the Building Hall, the Metal Hall and the North-East Building will be refurbished with new windows, doors and gateways which meet current energy conservation regulations. Here also the local heating plant and radiators will be modified to use lower inlet temperatures as far as is necessary.

– The ageing central heating and cooling plant on the Empa/Eawag site in Duebendorf must be replaced within the next few years. Last year a competition was held for a replacement heating and cooling plant which also included further measures to reduce energy consumption. The target set by the management of the two institutions was to reduce CO2 emissions by 70% by the year 2030 following a defined series of measures. In 2009 Empa und Eawag decided on a project to gasify waste wood to generate electrical power and heat. In summer the waste heat will be used to supply an absorption refrigeration system to supply a part of the cooling requirements of the site. According to calculations the CO2 emissions reduction due to this project will reach over 70% by the year 2012, a saving of 4500 tons annually. Further measures are planned to reduce the final overall CO2 balance by a total of 80% by 2030. The reference value dates from 1990 with 6735 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

Environmental Management An integral part of every building project is to determine how resource friendly ideas and procedures can be optimally implemented, for example by the use of sustainably produced building materials manufactured with minimum energy consumption, by implementing waste energy recovery concepts in heating and cooling systems and by the installation of energy saving equipment and plant.

Based on the electrical power usage analysis carried out in 2007, various measures were put into place in 2009. In Duebendorf the old emergency power generator, the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and the air compressor have been replaced and the circulating pump for the HVAC system renewed. These measures will result in savings of 160 000 kWh annually. In St.Gall the site power consumption has been reduced by even more, around 180 000 kWh per year through improved system regulation, optimization of air flows in the chemistry laboratories and by the decommissioning of a transformer. In parallel to these measures the aromatic consumption monitoring system has been extended, allowing the power usage of individual buildings to be directly viewed online via the ETH program “Silo”.

Contact

Roland Knechtle roland.knechtle@empa.ch

64 | 65 Organs of Empa

ETH Council

Advisory Commission

Research Commission

The ETH Council has overall responsibility for the management of the ETH Domain, which incorporates the two Federal Institutes of Technology (ETHZ, EPFL) and the four federal research institutes (PSI, WSL, Eawag and Empa).

A body of leading personalities which advises the Empa management on fundamental concerns.

The Commission advises Empa’s Board of Directors on questions of research, the choice of R&D spectrum and the evaluation of internal R&D projects. In addition to selected Empa senior staff, it consists of the following persons:

Chairman Fritz Schiesser Dr iur., Haslen GL Vice-Chairman Paul L. Herrling Prof. Dr, Novartis, Basel Members Patrick Aebischer Prof. Dr, EPF Lausanne Ralph Eichler Prof. Dr, ETH Zurich Barbara Haering Dr, Econcept AG, Zurich Janet Hering Prof. Dr, Eawag, Duebendorf Hans Hess Dipl. Ing. ETH, Hamesco AG, Pfäffikon SZ Beth Krasna Dipl. Ing. ETH, EPF Lausanne Thierry Lombard lic. rer. pol., Lombard Odier, Geneva Markus Stauffacher Dr, ETH Zurich

Chairman Norman Blank Dr, Sika, Zurich Members Kurt Baltensperger Dr, ETH-Rat, Zurich Crispino Bergamaschi Prof. Dr, UAS Central Switzerland, Horw Peter Chen Prof. Dr, ETH Zurich Andreas Hafner Dr, BASF, Basel Rita Hoffmann Dr, Ilford, Marly Jan-Anders Manson Prof. Dr, EPF Lausanne Markus Oldani Dr, ALSTOM, Baden Andreas Schreiner Dr, Novartis, Basel Eugen Voit Dr, Leica Geosystems, Heerbrugg Rolf Wohlgemuth Dr, Siemens, Zug

David Grainger Dr, University of Utah, USA Bengt Kasemo Prof. Dr, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden Erkki Leppävuori Prof. Dr, VTT, Finland Jaques Marchand Prof. Dr, Laval University, Canada Klaus Müllen Prof. Dr, MPI, Germany Claudia Stürmer Prof. Dr, University of Constance, Germany Eberhard Umbach Prof. Dr, KIT, Germany Sukekatsu Ushioda Prof. Dr, NIMS, Japan Alex Dommann Dr, CSEM, Zurich Thomas Egli Prof. Dr, Eawag, Duebendorf Karl Knop Dr, Zurich Dimos Poulikakos Prof. Dr, ETH Zurich Viola Vogel Prof. Dr, ETH Zurich Alexander Wokaun Prof. Dr, PSI, Villigen

Facts and figures portal@empa.ch Phone + 41 44 823 44 44 www.empa.ch/portal

Organizational Chart

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

Director general Prof. Dr Gian-Luca Bona

Deputy Dr Peter Hofer

DEPARTMENTS

Advanced Materials and Surfaces Dr Pierangelo Gröning

Electron Microscopy Center Dr Rolf Erni

Civil and Mechanical Engineering Dr Peter Richner

LABORATORIES

Materials meet Life Prof. Dr Harald Krug

LABORATORIES

Mechanical Systems Engineering Dr Giovanni Terrasi

Protection and Physiology Dr René Rossi

High Performance Ceramics Prof. Dr Thomas Graule

Mechanics for Modelling and Simulation Prof. Dr Edoardo Mazza

Advanced Fibers Dr Manfred Heuberger

Functional Polymers Dr Frank Nüesch

Structural Engineering Prof. Dr Masoud Motavalli

Materials-Biology Interactions Prof. Dr Harald Krug

Thin Films and Photovoltaics Prof. Dr Ayodhya N. Tiwari

Wood Dr Klaus Richter

Biomaterials Dr Linda Thöny-Meyer

nanotech@surfaces Dr Pierangelo Gröning

Building Science and Technology Prof. Dr Jan Carmeliet

Nanoscale Materials Science Prof. Dr Hans Josef Hug

Concrete/Construction Chemistry Dr Pietro Lura

Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures Dr Johann Michler

Road Engineering/Sealing Components Prof. Dr Manfred Partl

LABORATORIES

Advanced Materials Processing Prof. Dr Patrik Hoffmann Joining and Interface Technology Dr Manfred Roth Corrosion and Materials Integrity Dr Patrik Schmutz a.i.

Programs for Education and Continuous Training Empa Academy Dr Anne Satir

International PhD Program Switzerland – Poland Prof. Dr Jolanta Janczak

Master’s Program in Microand Nanotechnology (MNT) Dr Dirk Hegemann

66 | 67 Research Focal Areas Nanostructured Materials Dr Pierangelo Gröning

Information, Reliability and Simulation Technology Dr Xaver Edelmann LABORATORIES

Sustainable Built Environment Dr Peter Richner

Health and Performance Prof. Dr Harald Krug

Mobility, Energy and Environment Dr Peter Hofer

LABORATORIES

Natural Resources and Pollutants Dr Peter Hofer

Materials for Energy Technologies Dr Xaver Edelmann

Support Roland Knechtle

SECTIONS

Technology and Society Prof. Dr Lorenz Hilty

Internal Combustion Engines Christian Bach

Media Technology Prof. Dr Klaus Simon

Air Pollution/Environmental Technology Dr Brigitte Buchmann

Electronics/Metrology/Reliability Dr Urs Sennhauser

Analytical Chemistry Dr Heinz Vonmont

Acoustics/Noise Control Kurt Eggenschwiler

Solid State Chemistry and Catalysis Prof. Dr Anke Weidenkaff Hydrogen and Energy Prof. Dr Andreas Züttel

Marketing, Knowledge and Technology Transfer Gabriele Dobenecker Communication Dr Michael Hagmann Human Resources André Schmid Informatics Dr Christoph Bucher Finances /Controlling/Purchasing Heidi Leutwyler Mechanical Engineering/Workshop Stefan Hösli Logistics and Infrastructure Paul-André Dupuis Construction 3 Research Institutes Daniel Beerle

Public-private Partnerships Reliability Network Dr Urs Sennhauser

Center for Synergetic Structures Empa – Festo Dr Rolf Luchsinger

tebo – Technology Center in St.Gallen Peter Frischknecht

glaTec – Technology Center in Dübendorf Mario Jenni

IMPRINT Publisher Empa CH- 8600 Dübendorf CH- 9014 St.Gallen CH- 3602 Thun Editors Communication, Empa Design/Layout Graphics Group, Empa Printing Sonderegger Druck AG, Weinfelden

Printed climate neutral SC2010051007

ISSN 1424-2176 Annual Report Empa © Empa 2010

The technical-scientific report “Empa Activities 2009/2010”, previous Annual Reports and further documentation are available directly from: Empa Communication Überlandstrasse 129 CH-8600 Dübendorf redaktion@empa.ch

Empa

CH - 8600 Dübendorf Überlandstrasse 129 Phone +41 44 823 55 11 Fax +41 44 821 62 44

CH - 9014 St. Gallen Lerchenfeldstrasse 5 Phone +41 71 274 74 74 Fax +41 71 274 74 99

CH - 3602 Thun Feuerwerkerstrasse 39 Phone +41 33 228 46 26 Fax +41 33 228 44 90

www.empa.ch