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The Fraunhofer Group MATERIALS integrates the expertise of 16 Fraunhofer Institutes working in the field of materials science.

Fraunhofer materials research covers the entire value chain, from new material development and improvement of existing materials through manufacturing technology on a quasi-industrial scale, to the characterization of properties and assessment of service behavior. The same research scope applies to the components made from these materials and the way they function in systems. In all these fields, experimental studies in laboratories and technical institutes are supplemented by equally important numerical simulation and modelling techniques – across all scales, from individual molecules up to components and process simulation. As far as materials are concerned, the Fraunhofer MATERIALS group covers the full spectrum of metals, inorganic non-metals, polymers and materials made from renewable resources, as well as semiconductor materials.

The Group's expertise is concentrated specifically in the fields of energy and environment, mobility, health, machine and plant construction, building construction and living, microsystems technology and safety. Innovative systems are developed using materials and components customized for specific applications, and based on the assessment of the behavior of a material or component under specific conditions of use. Strategic forecasts promote the development of novel, future-oriented materials and technologies.

Fraunhofer MATERIALS

...FOR TOMORROW

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27.2.2019

Solid state batteries for tomorrow's electric cars

As part of a strategic international cooperation program of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Empa in Dübendorf (CH) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg (D) launched a three-year joint research project at the beginning of January to create the basis for a production-ready next generation of traction batteries for electric cars. In contrast to lithium-ion cells currently in use, these will consist only of solids and will no longer contain flammable liquid electrolytes. The Fraunhofer ISC contributes its know-how in process development and battery cell production and produces the first prototypes.

25.2.2019

New technology for warm white LEDs

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) provide significant energy savings over conventional light sources. In terms of light quality, however, conventional lighting solutions are still superior to LEDs as the latter are unable to reproduce the entire color spectrum. Most importantly, LEDs lack an efficient red phosphor to produce warmer white light. Four partners have teamed up as part of the EuroLED project to develop a nanoscale phosphor system for white LEDs based on a fundamentally new concept. By generating an energy-efficient warm white light, they hope to increase the public’s acceptance of energy-saving LEDs.

15.2.2019

Using Energy Harvesting to power wireless sensors in production environment

Nuremberg: Wireless sensors are an essential component in the Industrial Internet of Things IIoT. To record and transmit various kinds of physical pa-rameters and data, such sensors require permanent power. Fraunhofer IIS has developed a self-sufficient power supply specifically for IIoT sensors that uses existing vibrations, for example from machines, to generate electrical ener-gy. Thus, these sensors can be used for condition monitoring in production and require neither power cables nor constant battery changes.

13.2.2019

Safer Food – Less Waste

At ICE 2019, the Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied Polymer Research IAP, for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB and for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP will present innovative technologies for sustainable food packaging. They each have extensive expertise in processing, process development and control, the development of special polymer films and the deposition of ultra-thin layers for the packaging industry.