Press

Transport and trade on the ocean blue must be made much greener. This is the goal of the new €17 million European GAMMA project, where companies and researchers from Europe will develop and convert a bulk carrier to sail on climate-neutral fuels and green power.

Several Fraunhofer Institutes and the Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus-Senftenberg, under the leadership of Rolls-Royce Germany and other partners such as the research institution ACCESS, are collaborating on the future of hybrid electric flying. Supported by the state of Brandenburg and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, the partners are researching an entirely new propulsion system for medium-range aircraft with up to 35 passengers.

Titanium hip implants do not last forever — they gradually loosen, sooner or later losing their hold on the bone as it recedes over time. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP have been working alongside the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB and the Fraunhofer USA Center for Manufacturing Innovation CMI to develop a tissue adhesive that can help avoid early replacement of prostheses in the future. The biomimetic, antimicrobial material is applied to the titanium surface of the implant, which then connects with the bone and naturally adheres to the bone. The key here is that the tissue adhesive, which emulates the adhesive property of mussels, can be printed — even onto curves and uneven surfaces.

Today, fruit and vegetables are transported thousands of kilometers to Germany. A team at Fraunhofer IKTS now wants to bring horticulture to the cities with efficient and compact water, energy and gas management – and thereby strengthen regional self-sufficiency.

A broken bone failing to heal represents an enormous burden for patients, which also often leads to further additional surgeries being required. Fraunhofer researchers have worked alongside partners to develop a composite material to be used in the treatment of such non union cases. The resulting implant (termed scaffold) is designed to significantly improve treatment success rates and speed up the healing process. The material is made up of a combination of a biodegradable polymer and bioactive glass and can serve as a main and supporting structure. Its aim is to inhibit the growth of bacteria at the wound site and support the growth of new bone structures. This innovative medical engineering is the result of the SCABAEGO joint research project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Fraunhofer IFAM will present an initial demonstrator at the joint Fraunhofer booth at the COMPAMED medical engineering trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany (Hall 8a, Booth G10).

Leuna, September 20, 2023. The production of green hydrogen at sea researched in the H2Mare Flagship Project can now be experienced in the form of a browser game. In »Offshore - the H2Mare Game«, players can build their own offshore wind park, produce green hydrogen and test the future technologies researched in the project on screen. With this modern approach, H2Mare aims to inspire a new, younger target group for green offshore technologies in a playful way, and in doing so to familiarize them with their importance as a foundation for a successful energy transition. The project was coordinated and implemented by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES in collaboration with the Berlin-based creative agency Sapera Studios. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) provided around 70,000 euros in funding for the project.

Stationary energy storage systems aiming to relieve the public power grid during peak loads play an important role in the implementation the energy transition. Zinc-ion batteries have been the focus of attention for these and other applications for some time - but so far without commercial success. The BMBF-funded research project "Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries ZIB2" is now investigating how an industrial implementation can be successful. The use of non-critical, low-cost materials, an increase in efficiency and extension of cycle life as well as the application of industrial cell designs are the central scientific goals of the project.

How to produce hydrogen cost-effectively and sustainably is one of the central questions of the energy transition. Highly conductive membranes for electrolyzers are a key component of hydrogen technology. A research team at Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, together with Zentrum für Brennstoffzellen Technik ZBT GmbH, has now developed innovative anion exchange membranes (AEM) that allow to reduce the costs of electrolyzers and to tap the potential of hydrogen as a climate-neutral energy source in an environmentally friendly way.

As climate change progresses, extreme weather events such as prolonged hot spells, storms and heavy rain are occurring ever more frequently, and cities are feeling the strain. The new urban climate model PALM-4U will allow municipal staff and city planners to simulate the effects of their planned construction projects on the urban climate, so that they can gauge the consequences of extreme weather events before they happen, improve quality of life in urban areas and protect the health of the sick and the elderly. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP created the user interface for the simulator, putting their many years of expertise in fields such as hygrothermics and indoor climate to good use.