The smallest motor in the world

A research team from Empa and EPFL has developed a molecular motor which consists of only 16 atoms and rotates reliably in one direction. It could allow energy harvesting at the atomic level. The special feature of the motor ...

Industry 4.0 and additive manufacturing

At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos a key topic is focusing on the "Digital Transformation of Industries". The fourth industrial revolution is imminent. It goes by the name "Industry 4.0" and is expected to fundamentally ...

Alternative cement recipes—A recipe for eco-concrete

It is the most widely used product in the world. Cement is indispensable yet its reputation has become quite tainted in the course of the ongoing climate debate. Mixed with water, sand and gravel, it results in concrete, ...

Shape-memory alloys for the building industry

When the frame of a pair of glasses is bent out of shape, it's not that easy to return it to its original form. If, however, your spectacles are made of a shape memory alloy then you don't have a problem. Just place the frame ...

The long road to the 2000-watt society

The vision of a society in which each inhabitant of the earth manages to consume only 2000 watts (48 kilowatt-hours per day) has already been around for 15 years. During this time, there has been a steady increase in environmental ...

Most biofuels are not 'green', researchers show

(Phys.org)—First tops, then flops. That is one way of summing up the history of biofuels so far. A new study led by Empa gives an up-to-date picture of the ecobalance of various biofuels and their production processes. ...

Tandem solar cells are more efficient

Stacking two solar cells one over the other has advantages: Because the energy is "harvested" in two stages, and overall the sunlight can be converted to electricity more efficiently. Empa researchers have come up with a ...

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