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Phone +41 33 228 46 26Fax +41 33 228 44 90

www.empa.ch

Annual Report 2010

4ForewordEmpa’s Strength: Interdisciplinary Results and Solutions

6Research Focus Areas

8 Nanostructured Materials10Sustainable Built Environment12Natural Resources and Pollutants14Materials for Energy Technologies16Materials for Health andPerformance

Previous Annual Reports and further

documentation are available directly from:

Empa

Communication

Überlandstrasse 129

CH-8600 Dübendorf

redaktion@empa.ch

Content

18In the Spotlight

20Solar Impulse: Clothing to Ensure Pilot Comfortunder Extreme Conditions22Functional Textiles Thanks to Plasma Technology:On the Way to Market Readiness24The Perfect Artificial Turf: a New BicomponentFiber Makes Footballers’ Dreams Come True26Everything’s Running Smoothly –Thanks to Ceramics28High-Performance Thermal Insulation Systemsfor Old Buildings30Laccases: Green Catalysts with EnormousEconomic Potential32Self-Healing Membranes – Nature Shows the Way34Flexible Solar Cells – Collecting the Sun’s EnergyUsing Woven Material36Different Ways of Achieving Sustainable Mobility38Energy Saving Lamps and Electric Cars:How Environmentally Friendly are They? 40Volcanic Ash over Europe – from Measurementsto Improved Predictions42Defective Microelectronics – SleuthingAbility Required!

58Facts and Figures

60Scientific Output / Know-howand Technology Transfer61Personnel62Finances64Construction / Operations65Organs of Empa66Organizational Chart

44Empa as a Partner

46Technology Transfer 48Technology Centers50Business Development52International CooperativeProjects54Empa Academy56Science in Dialog

Foreword

Empa’s Strength: InterdisciplinaryResults and Solutions

In the course of numerous meetings over the past year,I have had the pleasure of meeting people representing

all areas of Swiss industry, politics and academia.

While pointing out Empa’s role and activities, I received a

good deal of very valuable, constructive feedback as well

as praise for what we have achieved. Our core tasks have

not changed over the past few years: Empa conducts cut-

ting-edge research in the fields of materials and material

technology, and in doing so develops interdisciplinary so-

lutions for the challenges currently faced by industry and

society. As an institution within the ETH Domain we are

committed to excellence in all our activities, and it is our

highest priority to convert our research results into inno-

vative applications through an efficient technology trans-

fer to partners in the marketplace. In this role as the bridge

linking research activities and practical applications, Empa

makes a significant contribution to strengthening the in-

novative capabilities of the Swiss economy and enhancing

its competitiveness. We also help to establish the scientific

basis for the sustainable development of our society. And

we do all this to make our vision become reality: materials

and technologies for a sustainable future.

We group our activities into five so-called Research Focus

Areas: Nanostructured Materials, Sustainable Built Envi-

ronment, Materials for Health and Performance, Materials

for Energy Technologies, and Natural Resources and Pol-

lutants. Empa’s particular strengths – our special «assets» –

are the multifaceted range of disciplines covered by our

scientific and technical laboratories and the well-bal-

anced combination of experienced, well-networked sci-

entists and engineers working alongside enthusiastic

young graduates from the best universities. We are thus

ideally equipped to conduct innovative research and de-

velop sustainable solutions to current challenges. This

sets us apart from the purely academic work at universi-

ties and enables us to be a highly competent partner to

industry and regulatory authorities alike. I am absolutely

convinced that comprehensive, multidisciplinary know-how

will become ever more important for our partners to

achieve success in globalized markets.

As a consequence of our limited resources and size we

have to concentrate our efforts on said focus areas and

exploit all available synergies by cooperating as far as

possible with other research institutions within the ETH

Domain and beyond. Visible signs are a number of joint

professorships with the ETH Zurich, the EPF Lausanne

and other leading universities, as well as the establish-

ment and use of common research infrastructure.

One example of the latter is the new wind tunnel, primarily

financed by the ETH Zurich, which is being used to con-

duct detailed studies of climate and air exchange in urban

settings. Another is the facility for testing innovative, light-

weight wooden structures and building components

which was established in collaboration with partners

from industry and the Bern University of Applied Sci-

ences. A third is the new laser center in Thun, a “public

private partnership” with a start-up company, which al-

lows us to structure large surfaces (up to 3 square meters)

with sub-micrometer precision in three dimensions. Last

but not least, we are co-operators of a new beam-line at

the Swiss Light Source (SLS) at the Paul Scherrer Institute

(PSI) in a project that combines the high intensity of the

SLS with new methods of surface spectroscopy in order

to study structures on the nanometer scale. But we are

also increasingly cooperating in management, adminis-

tration and support infrastructure, an example being the

consolidation of the libraries of the four research insti-

tutes. In addition we are currently developing a unified

software basis for performing administrative tasks at the

four institutions.

Our research projects led to numerous success stories in

2010, for instance the fundamental work on graphene

nanostructures. In an international cooperative project,

Empa researchers were able to synthesize graphene

nanoribbons on specific surfaces using novel precursor

molecules. In the very year the Nobel Prize in Physics was

awarded for the discovery of graphene, this work has un-

covered new opportunities, so that one day these materials

may hopefully find use, say, in making novel nanoelec-

tronic components. Another success was the progress

Prof. Dr Gian-Luca Bona

made by an Empa team in

developing inorganic thin-

film photovoltaic material

on flexible plastic sub-

strates. Last year their nov-

el device set a new world

record in terms of energy

conversion efficiency, fuel-

ing hopes that this technology may be used in large-scale

applications in the not too distant future. I could go on and

cite many more examples of outstanding results. I would,

however, like to emphasize our achievements in the areas

of technology transfer and the service sector which are

perhaps not as spectacular to the general public, but nev-

ertheless were (and still are) extremely important for the

specific partners and clients involved.

Finally, a point which is particularly dear to my heart: I

wish to thank very sincerely Empa’s highly motivated

staff for their invaluable work. It is this enormous human

capital which at the end of the day makes our institution

very special.

Director

Research Focus Areas

Nanostructured Materials

Developing materials by computer

The physical properties of nanostructured materials and coatingsare based on complex and subtle interactions of their nanoscalecomponents, in particular at their interfaces. There are limitsto the extent to which experimental methods can be used for re-searching into and developing such materials. Computer simulationsand numeric models are therefore becoming increasingly moreimportant in the field of materials research.

The cyclical hydrogen splitting of cyclohexaphenylenes leads to tribenzocoronenes. Up to 2000 atoms weretaken into account in calculating the simulation of the reaction steps on the surface of the copper substrate.

“Computational Materials Science” – the

name of the subject on which Empa has been

working intensively for the past three years,

thanks to a Linux-based computer cluster

called “Ipazia”. The cluster architecture en-

ables hundreds, even thousands of “mini cal-

culations” to be carried out, allowing very

large parameter spaces to be worked on very

quickly. The computer cluster is named after

an unusual and important female scientist of

antiquity, Hypatia, who taught mathematics,

astronomy and philosophy at the famous Uni-

versity of Alexandria in the fourth century.

Experiment and simulation in tandemGraphene consists of a mono-atomic layer of

carbon atoms and is considered to be the

material of the future in the micro and na-

noelectronic fields. However, graphene only

develops some of its outstanding electronic

properties when it is in a form characterized

by a certain, atomically precise nanostruc-

ture. In the search for a method of synthe-

sizing graphene nanostructures of this kind,

Empa researchers, in collaboration with col-

leagues from the Max Planck Institute for

Polymer Research in Mainz (D), are follow-

ing a unique path. They are making tailor-

made molecules react on surfaces, thereby

creating carbon nanostructures with the re-

quired geometric form. The experimental in-

vestigations of the individual reaction steps,

made with the help of a scanning tunnel mi-

croscope, are accompanied in parallel by

computer simulations which assist in the in-

terpretation of the results and lead to a deep-

er understanding of them. This partnership

of experimenter and theoretician has rapidly

| 09

Scanning tunnel microscope is used as a tool whicnanostructures with atomic resolution.

A schematic representation of graphene nanoribbons:synthesis occurs as a result of a molecular self-assemblyprocess of tailor-made monomers, followed by cyclicalhydrogen splitting.

produced very detailed results, which in

turn have led to more target oriented and

therefore more efficient material research

and development. This has been clearly

demonstrated in the case of graphene re-

search, which received worldwide recogni-

tion and whose outstanding value has been

repeatedly highlighted.

h allows to visualize

08

A coating structure whichshouldn’t be possible Another example is optically transparent alu-

minum silicon-nitride coatings (AlSiN),

which are as hard as sapphire and can there-

fore be used to protect glass surfaces, such as

touch-screens or watch faces, from wearing.

Of the material mixtures studied, the best re-

sults were given by one with a silicon propor-

tion of 6 to 16 atomic percent, with coatings

consisting of nanocrystalline AlSiN and

amorphous Si3N4. According to thermody-

namic considerations, however, this compos-

ite structure should not exist at all. By means

of atomic modeling on the Ipazia cluster, the

physical basis for the unexpected layer struc-

ture was deduced. Calculation showed that

the addition of silicon to the crystal lattice of

the aluminium nitride did not, as expected,

cause it to expand but in fact to shrink. This

behavior was confirmed by the experimental

investigation. It will now drive the further de-

velopment of these materials in a more goal

oriented and application-specific manner.

Contact

Dr Pierangelo Gröningpierangelo.groening@empa.ch

Sustainable Built Environment

Built-up infrastructure for sustainable usage

The built-up world and its “ecological footprint” are key factors fora sustainable society. Empa’s activities in the new Research FocusArea “Sustainable Built Environment” range from the developmentof new materials through the design and integration of innovativesystems in buildings and structures to the analysis of entire citiesand their interaction with the environment. The aims are clear –to minimize the environmental effects of the built-up infrastructureand at the same time offer users comfort and security.

The mobile traffic load simulator MLS10 providesvaluable information on the state and quality of

The Research Focus Area encompasses five

units, three of which – Materials, Structures

and Infrastructure as well as Buildings and

Cities are of long term duration. New Light-

weight Structures, on the other hand, is a

short to mid-term initiative, while technolo-

gy transfer, a factor which must always be

taken into consideration, occupies center

stage in the Demonstrators module.

Building materials –insight and overview Achieving a fundamental understanding of

various building materials is at the focal

point of many Empa projects. Thanks to

modern characterization techniques such as

synchrotron X-ray tomography, it has been

existing roadway surfaces.

possible to gain new insights into the highly

complex nanostructures of wood, concrete

and asphalt. The combination with thermo-

dynamic simulations or the modeling of

transport phenomenon has made it possible

to finally understand well-known problems

of the durability of building materials. Simul-

taneously it provides valuable inputs which

can help develop improved materials.

Durability and security are parameters of cen-

tral importance when considering large infra-

structure projects such as bridges or national

highways. In 2010, Empa’s mobile traffic load

simulator MLS10 supplied valuable informa-

tion on the condition and quality of existing

road surfaces. The “road tester” loads a section

of roadway with the equivalent of millions of

vehicle passes, and on the basis of structural

investigations before and after such a stress-

test the roadway’s remaining useful lifetime

can be determined. This information allows

the owner of the roadway to plan for mainte-

nance and replacement in an optimal manner.

10 | 11

Abics

Using “Urban Physics” to achieve better city climates: data generated by the wind tunnel is used to investigatethe flow of air and pollutants through streets and around houses.

50 μm

50 μm

Partnership and technology transferIn other areas too, Empa is investing in

unique test infrastructure to enable complex

experiments to be conducted. For example

iinn 22001100 tthhee wwiinndd ttuunnnneell ffoorr tthhee ssttuuddyy ooff

questions concerning wind comfort and the

transport of pollutant in urban centers was

brought into operation, and the light-weight

structures testing facility for acoustic inves-

tigations was commissioned. Both facilities

are cooperative projects; Empa’s partner in

the wind tunnel is the ETH Zurich, while the

testing plant for lightweight structures is a

collaboration with the Bern University of

Applied Sciences. In both cases Empa is the

perfect partner thanks to its highly qualified

scientific and technical staff, who are expe-

rienced in the operation of large equipment

of this nature and can guarantee the quality

of the results.

deeper understanding ofuilding materials: water

mpact on early and late woodan be investigated withynchrotron X-ray tomography.

Converting research results into marketable

innovations is a challenge in every technical

field, and in the building industry it is per-

haps even greater than elsewhere. A prom-

iissiinngg sstteepp ttoowwaarrddss ssuucccceessss iiss ttaakkeenn wwhheenn

new materials and systems can be demon-

strated on a real life scale and under real life

conditions. The living module “Self”, which

was developed in cooperation with Eawag,

can be operated independently of external

sources of energy and water. This ambitious

target could only be reached by a sophisticat-

ed combination of the newest technologies.

Because it is by nature a mobile facility, there

have been a range of opportunities to present

Self to a wider public – and it has been met

with an overwhelming level of interest.

Contact

Dr Peter Richnerpeter.richner@empa.ch

Natural Resources and Pollutants

New technologies counter the effects of pollution

The goals of the research focal area “Natural Resources and Pollution”are to help find ways of reducing our consumption of naturalresources and also of lowering emission levels. To reach this targetEmpa scientists analyze the relevant environmental and technologicalprocesses and develop technical solutions to current problems.In doing so they investigate fundamental questions – such as howto produce an innovative source of energy – and work on concrete questions,for example the negative influence of pollutants on technical products.

Electron-microscope image of the surface of a catalyst, showing deposited material which caninhibit the functioning of the device (red: phosphorus; blue: sulphur; yellow: zinc).

10 μm

Phosphorous causes exhaust gascatalytic converters to ageIt has been known for a longtime that lead

causes irreversible damage to the exhaust

gas catalytic converters of road vehicles. It

was this fact that was responsible for the in-

troduction of unleaded petrol in the 1980s.

There are, however, other substances which

can damage catalysts also, for example

phosphorus, sulphur and zinc which are

found in motor oils or fuels. In collaboration

with the Swiss lubricant and fuel industry

and a catalyst manufacturer, Empa has in-

vestigated these effects in detail. The results

of the study show that as more phosphorus

is deposited in a catalyst the more its func-

tion is inhibited. There are various reasons

for this drop-off in performance. One is that

the phosphorus reacts with the substrate

(alumina and cer oxides) to form phosphate

films, covering the active sites. And in addi-

tion, the phosphorus reacts with the catalyt-

ic active material (e.g. palladium) and caus-

es this material to lose its catalytic activity.

Preparing a catalyst forsurface studies.

Piopipüi

12 | 13

10 μm

a

b

Al-Sn layer

Base material

Disintegration ofthe Sn-oxyhydroxide

CO2 as the raw material forrenewable energy carriersEmpa has manufactured a catalyst based on

a newly developed material which converts

carbon dioxide and hydrogen to methane

with a very high efficiency and selectivity,

and yet which does not simultaneously cre-

ate carbon monoxide. In effect, a waste

product (and greenhouse gas) can be used

to generate a renewable carrier of energy,

thereby closing the carbon cycle. The high

efficiency of the catalyst is due to its specific

nanostructure. The preparation process

used to generate this particular structure

can also be applied to other materials, there-

by making possible the manufacture of cat-

alysts which can also be used to synthesize

long-chain hydrocarbons.

Tin oxyhydroxide causes the gradualdetachment of the aluminum-tinlayer in sleeve bearings. High atmos-pheric humidity levels, above all incombination with sulphur dioxide,accelerate this process dramatically.

a: Formation of Sn-oxyhydroxideb: Delamination of the Al-Sn layer

10 μm

Air pollution causes aluminum-tinsleeve bearings to fail Aluminum-tin sputter coatings possess out-

standing sliding properties, since tin is an

excellent sliding lubricant. These Al-Sn lay-

ers are therefore used in sleeve bearings in

motors. However, during the past ten years,

incidences where the coating has failed dur-

ing storage – that is, before the bearing has

even been used – have increased enormous-

ly, primarily in Singapore, Korea, Indonesia

and Cameroon. As part of a research project,

and in collaboration with one of the world’s

largest Al-Sn sleeve bearing manufacturers,

Empa has investigated and been able to ex-

plain the mechanism of the material failure.

Using a scanning force microscope to study

samples in a controlled humidity environ-

ment, scientists observed, that when the rel-

ative humidity exceeded 30 per cent, volu-

minous tin oxyhydroxide was formed. This

created local mechanical stresses which led

to the detachment of the aluminum-tin lay-

er. Normally this process takes place on a

timescale of years; however, when the con-

centration of sulphur-dioxide in the air is

high, the tin oxyhydroxide dissolves and the

detachment of the surface coating acceler-

ates dramatically. This process renders the

sleeve bearing unusable in a matter of

weeks. The coating failures therefore have

their origin in the extreme levels of air pol-

lution in the affected regions.

Contact

Dr Peter Hoferpeter.hofer@empa.ch

CIGS

“Catching the radiation of the sun” is one of the greatest challengeswhich Empa is facing. (piqs.de)

Materials for Energy Technologies

Reducing energy consumption –thanks to new materials

The average energy consumption in Switzerland liesway above the 2000-Watt Society goal, and theemission of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion is far morethan the long term target value, set at one tonne perperson and year. To reduce our energy usage by twothirds it is essential that we develop new concepts, newmaterials and improved (and sustainable) technologiesand systems for the conversion and storage of energy.

Meeting the energy needs of Swiss buildings

and fuelling the mobility requirements of

the population consume the greater part of

the country’s energy budget – some 50 and

30 per cent respectively – and for this reason

Empa focuses its research and development

activities on this area. Innovative materials,

systems and concepts emerging from the in-

stitution’s laboratories are intended to help

reduce this energy consumption in the long

term in a sustainable manner.

11µµmµmµµµµµ1µm

ZnO front contact(sputtered)

CdS buffer layer n-typesemiconductor(chemical bath)

CIGS absorber p-typesemiconductor(evaporated layer)

Metal rear contact(sputtered)

Substrate

15

Thin-film solar cells “made by Empa”, andbased on CIGS (copper indium gallium(di)selenide). Empa holds the world record –18.8 per cent – for CIGS.

“Gathering” the sun’s radiationas efficiently as possibleTo be practically useful, readily available

kinds of energy such as solar power and

waste heat must be converted into a “use-

able” form, either electric current or usable

heat. Thin film solar cells, thermoelectric

converters (which generate electricity from

waste heat, for example, in motors), solid

oxide fuel cells (as are used for combined

heat and power production in buildings)

and more efficient gas turbines (thanks to

novel high temperature materials) are all

used to perform this conversion process.

In the field of photovoltaic research, for ex-

ample, Empa is developing new materials

and treatment processes. Instead of using

expensive crystalline silicon, researchers are

using cheaper dyes as well as organic and

inorganic materials, thin layers which ab-

sorb light strongly. In fact with its so-called

CIGS thin film cells the Empa team holds the

current world record for the conversion of

sunlight into electric power. One major ad-

vantage of thin film technology is that the

films can be laid down on flexible substrates

such as foils, which allows them to be used

for innovative applications on tissue sur-

faces and the like.

Energy carriers of the futureHowever, the most urgent challenge is to

find new ideas and techniques for storing

energy, for example in chemical energy car-

riers with high energy density or in new

batteries. Per unit weight, hydrogen has the

highest energy density of all currently avail-

able fuels, as much as three times higher

than fossil fuels. Empa is working on devel-

oping new materials for the membranes and

electrodes needed to allow hydrogen to be

sustainably produced through electrolytic

processes. The gaseous hydrogen must then

be stored by some means, and it is here that

the hydrides developed at Empa are espe-

cially suitable, since they can store the gas

by trapping its molecules in their crystal lat-

tice and then release them later as required.

How sustainable are new energy concepts?

Battery powered electric vehicles are expect-

ed to play an important role in meeting the

mobility needs of the future, particularly in

urban settings. To make a complete life cycle

analysis of various technologies, however,

every single process involved in the manu-

facture, operation and disposal of the prod-

uct must be investigated in detail and its en-

vironmental compatibility evaluated. Empa

has evaluated a wide range of eco-balances

for products involving mobility-related tech-

nologies, such as biogenic fuels or lithium-

ion batteries.

14 |

Contact

Dr Xaver Edelmannxaver.edelmann@empa.ch

–

–

Materials for Health and Performance

For the protection and safety of mankind

The protection and safety of human beings and their environmentplays a central role in a society which is becoming ever more de-manding in terms of safety requirements in all areas of daily life, andsimultaneously whose average age is increasing. In its Research FocusArea “Materials for Health and Performance”, Empa is developinginnovative technologies and systems which contribute to maintaininga high quality-of-life and good physical constitution in the generalpublic for as long as possible. One core area here is the protection ofhuman health in dealing with and using new products and materials.

–

–

–

The Research Focus Area “Materials for Health and Performance” consists of five interdisciplinary modules.New know-how and innovation is created in the melting pot of technology.

Health andperformance

Biotechnology

Fibers andtextiles

MaterialSafety

MedTechImplantsand

therapies

Performance andmonitoring

Materials,environmenthealth and

safety

MedTech and newtherapeutic agents

Functionalizedfibers

At Empa, health is a topic which is dealt with

in an extremely multidisciplinary manner. The

research focus area unifies know-how and ex-

perience in the fields of modern textiles and

material sciences, as well as in bio- and nan-

otechnology. The central questions which

need to be addressed are:

Which materials are suitable for maintain-

ing human health – or even recovering it?

Which products could in future improve

the quality of life or enhance the safety of

the older generation?

How can new materials and systems help

enhance performance during sporting

activities or under extreme environmental

conditions?

How can fibers and textiles be lent specific

functionalities in order that they possess

the required properties?

Can Empa in future guarantee the safety of

new materials? And how do Empa test this?

16 | 17

New characteristics throughnanocoatings It is possible to lend modern textiles, and

also new medical implants, specific proper-

ties such as electrical conductivity or cell

growth stimulation by applying special coat-

ings to their surfaces. Nanomaterials – sub-

stances which sometimes behave chemical-

ly or physically in very different ways – are

often used for this purpose. At the same

time, however, these new nanomaterials or

nanoparticles also come into direct contact

with the human body, particularly in the

case of invasive medical treatments. In or-

der to be able to guarantee the safety of

these materials, the potential effects on hu-

man beings must be investigated in detail

beforehand.

An experimehuman placcross this baunborn child

Switzerland’s action plan on nanotechnology

therefore intentionally targets the safe use of

synthetic nanomaterials. Empa has made a

significant contribution to working out this

action plan and the resulting matrix of pre-

cautionary measures for small and medium-

sized enterprises. Since widely ranging ques-

tions such as the safe use of nanomaterials

can in the final analysis only be answered at

the level of international cooperation, Empa

has, together with other leading research in-

stitutions, co-founded the “International Al-

liance for NanoEHS Harmonization”. Re-

searchers from the seventeen participating

institutes in Europe, Japan and the USA have,

among other things, developed new stan-

dardized test methods to evaluate the possi-

ble side effects of nanomaterials on our envi-

ronment and health.

This includes, for example, a tissue model

system of the human placenta. In collabora-

tion with scientists from the University Hos-

pital of Zurich, Empa researchers have suc-

cessfully determined the transport of

nanoparticles in this important organ.

Working together with staff from the Can-

tonal Hospital of St Gall, the Empa team is

now investigating (with the help of this

ntal setup for investigating theental system: can nanoparticlesrrier between a mother and her?

model system), whether nanoparticles dam-

age placental tissue or even have an influ-

ence on the development of the fetus. At the

same time the possibility of nanovehicles

being able to pass through the placenta is

being investigated. This would allow the tar-

geted treatment of a baby while it is still in

its mother’s uterus.

Swiss Federal Office of Public Health(FOPH) precautionary matrix: www.bag.admin.ch/themen/chemikalien

IANH:www.nanoehsalliance.org/sections

NANOMMUNE:ki.projectcoordinator.net

NanoHouse:www-nanohouse.cea.fr

DaNa:www.nanopartikel.info

Contact

Prof. Dr Harald Krug harald.krug@empa.ch

In the Spotlight

eme Conditions

Solar Impulse: Clothing to Ensure Pilot Comfort under Extr

Solar Impulse, the high-tech experimental aircraft, will soon fly around theworld using no fuel, just the energy of the sun. Individual legs of the jour-ney will take up to five days and nights, and ensuring that during these pe-riods the pilot neither boils nor freezes requires the use of very specialclothing systems. These are provided by Empa’s textile specialists.

André Borschberg, CEO and co-founder of Solar Impulse, and pilotof the first ever night flight made bya solar energy powered aircraft,wearing the new flying suit duringtests in the Environmental Chamberat the Empa St Gall site.

Extreme conditions prevail in the cockpit of

Solar Impulse. The aircraft flies both during

the day and at night, so the temperature can

fall to –20 degrees Celsius, but because

weight is at a premium and every gram

counts, the vehicle is not particularly well in-

sulated. This means that the pilot’s clothing

must take over responsibility for maintaining

a comfortable temperature. True enough, in

daylight hours cockpit temperatures can be

pleasant, but exposure to direct sunshine can

make the flyer unpleasantly sweaty. Unsuit-

able equipment can have serious conse-

quences – the pilot’s ability to concentrate

suffers under extremes of temperature, and

sitting immobile for long periods can result

in the formation of decubitus ulcers, com-

monly known as bed-sores. Because the pilot

can hardly move in the cockpit – there just

isn’t the room – he cannot simply put on or

take off items of clothing at will.

Using off-the-peg clothing was therefore not

an option for the Solar Impulse team. A vari-

ably adaptable clothing system had to be

found.

Using the sun to fly through the night

The goal the two Swiss flyers, Bertrand Piccard

and André Borschberg, have in their sights is to

fly Solar Impulse around the globe using only the

sun as a power source. The prototype aircraft,

with registration number HB-SIA, has a

wingspan of about 64 meters and weighs in at

just 1.6 tons. The enormous wingspan is neces-

sary to provide sufficient surface area for the

12,000 odd solar cells which deliver power to

the motors. The maiden flight took place on April

7th 2010 from the airfield at Payerne in Canton

Vaud, Switzerland. The first night flight followed

on July 7-8th 2010, with Pilot André Borschberg

wearing the Empa flying suit. Soon construction

of the second prototype will begin, the machine

in which Piccard and Borschberg will attempt

their flight around the world.

20 | 21

made-to-measure fit ensures optimal per-

formance.

Down insulation for the nighttime,fresh air during the dayEmpa’s specialists turned to down, an insu-

lating material whose value has long been

proven. Down is not only very light, it is an

extremely good thermal insulator and is

very “breathable” – that is, it has excellent

permeability to moisture. The pilot’s suit

consists of three down chambers covering

the arms, legs and body, which are enclosed

both inside and out in breathable foil. De-

pending on the level of insulation, required

air is either blown into the chambers or

sucked out of them. This operation is per-

formed by a micropump which, in the case

of the Solar Impulse flying suit, takes about

three minutes to completely fill or empty the

garment.

Even without physical exertion the human

body loses about a liter of water every day

by perspiration, and when the surroundings

are warm or when the body is physically ac-

tive this quantity can easily be doubled. The

resulting perspiration must be efficiently

transported away from the skin to avoid the

formation of uncomfortable wet patches, a

situation which could have particularly se-

rious consequences for the Solar Impulse pi-

lots since the contact surface with the seat

constitutes about one third of their whole

body area. To remove sweat from this con-

tact zone efficiently the Empa experts inte-

grated an active ventilation system into the

seat and back of the suit.

Together with its industrial partners, the

Empa team constructed a prototype system

consisting of seat and flying suit, the latter

tailor made to fit André Borschberg. After

the tests in the Empa environmental cham-

ber at the institution’s St Gall site, which the

clothing system passed with flying colors,

the pilot reacted with enthusiasm. The

Empa scientists were also, naturally, very

satisfied. Test results showed that both in

terms of its thermal insulation and humidity

transport properties the suit functioned per-

fectly even under extreme conditions. An-

other tailor-made suit was prepared for the

second pilot, Bertrand Piccard, since only a

Contact

Markus Wedermarkus.weder@empa.ch

We expect a great deal from our clothing – it must, for example, be water-proof to keep us from getting wet when it rains. The clothing industryis always on the lookout for new processes which lend textiles the propertiesrequired to satisfy our needs, and one such is plasma technology. Togetherwith its commercial partners, Empa has developed this method so that it canbe used on an industrial scale by companies in the textile business.

Functional Textiles Thanks to Plasma Technology: On the Way to Market Readiness

Textiles must satisfy a range of needs. One of them is preventing the wearer from getting wet. (iStock)

Synthetic textiles are usually onlymoderately wettable, so theyare frequently treated to makethem either hydrophilic (left) orhydrophobic (right).

Contact

Dr Dirk Hegemanndirk.hegemann@empa.ch

22 | 23

Textiles made of synthetic materials have

the disadvantage that they generally do not

“wet” very well and must therefore be treat-

ed to overcome this problem. Depending on

what the textile will finally be used for, it is

possible to make the material either hy-

drophilic (that is permeable to water) or

hydrophobic (water-repellent). Making

textiles hydrophilic increases the wear-

ing comfort since perspiration then

permeates more easily through the

garment. Also, if the material is to be

printed, it must first be made hy-

drophilic, otherwise the dye will wash

out. Clothing which is intended to repel

water, such as raingear, is treated to

make it hydrophobic.

For decades the textile industry has been

looking for better ways to make materials ei-

ther hydrophilic or hydrophobic. The con-

ventional wet-chemical methods currently

used are poor in wash and wear resistance,

and they also alter the properties of the tex-

tiles, for example its feel. As if this were not

enough, these techniques also use a great

deal of energy and water.

Plasma: a technique from themicroelectronics laboratoryPlasma technology offers an alternative

method which has been used for a long time

in the microelectronics industry for purpos-

es such as coating wafers. The technique

has two major advantages: it is a dry process

and is environmentally friendly. However,

until recently low-pressure plasma process-

es were considered to be too expensive for

use with textiles. This may now be about to

change – Empa has been researching the

technology for some time and also operates

a pilot plant. Now the institution has en-

tered into collaboration with six textile com-

panies and the Nano-Cluster Bodensee

(NCB), an association for the promotion of

nano-microtechnology in the area of the

Lake of Constance, to investigate more

closely the suitability and economic feasibil-

ity of using plasma technology in the textile

industry. The project is financially support-

ed by the Swiss Commission for Technology

and Innovation CTI.

Gases form the raw materials used in plas-

ma technology. When they are subjected to

a high voltage at low pressure in a vacuum

chamber a plasma is created. The activated

molecules of the plasma then collect on sur-

faces in the vacuum chamber – such as a

garment – in a layer just a few nanometers

thick. The fact that the layer is so thin means

that other properties of the material, such as

its feel, are not affected by the treatment.

Covering more linksin the added-value chainTogether the project partners cover several

links of the textile industry value-added

chain. Empa’s pilot plant complements in

an almost ideal way the industrial plasma

equipment owned by the Austrian textile

treatment company Textilveredelungs GmbH

Grabher Guenter. This company processes

textiles for the Swiss companies involved in

the project, namely Christian Eschler AG, AG

Cilander, Sefar AG, Bezema AG and Bischoff

Textil AG. The NCB took on responsibility

for managing the project and generating a

cost model. All the goals set for the project

were successfully reached. All the novel

plasma coatings which the Empa team de-

veloped resulted in hydrophilic properties

which were significantly longer lived and

possessed better wash resistance than those

previously used, as was demonstrated in

long-term laboratory tests. Two coating

processes have already been successfully

scaled up from Empa’s pilot equipment for

use with Grabher’s industrial equipment,

and a further coating is being optimized by

Grabher in a similar way.

The project has produced results which

have generated a good deal of enthusiasm

among the parties involved. Two partner

companies are already using plasma tech-

nology to process their textiles, and they aim

to launch new products based on these de-

velopments onto the market over the next

few years. The Swiss Commission for Tech-

nology and Innovation CTI also regards the

project as a success story.

The Perfect Artificial Turf: a New Bicomponent Fiber Makes

Footballers’ Dreams Come True

Access to a football field which is playable all year round is very important forfootballers. Synthetic turf makes this possible, but to date it has not been a com-pletely satisfactory solution. On some artificial surfaces, a fall can lead to playerssuffering friction burns and on others the fibers eventually buckle irreversiblyunder the constant load. Researchers of Empa and irpd, together with TISCATIARA and Schramm GmbH, have now developed a new fiber which manages toovercome both these problems thanks to its hard core and soft sheath.

The cross-sectional geometry of the fiber: at the center are five thinpolyamide cores, surrounded by a polyethylene sheath.

Artificial turf is robust, playable in all weathers

and has a long service life. This makes it an

economic and practical alternative to sports

fields of natural grass. They allow teams to

train and play throughout the year and are

therefore indispensable in the modern game –

and not just for the top teams. However, these

artificial sports fields have always had their

share of problems. The first generation was

made of polyamide, a polymer fiber which pos-

sesses excellent recovery characteristics; in

other words, the synthetic blades of grass al-

ways sprang back erect after being trampled

down. But it was exactly this robustness of the

polyamide fibers which led to players being in-

jured. So the next generation of synthetic turfs

was made of polyethylene, a material which is

much easier on players’ skin. But these fibers

also had a problem; their ability to recover

from being trampled down was very poor. This

meant that after being used for some time the

fibers became completely flattened, a state of

affairs which was not only optically unpleas-

ant but also resulted in changes to the playing

properties of the surface. To prevent this situ-

ation occurring in the first place, attempts were

made to support the blades of artificial grass

with sand or granular material. Today synthet-

ic turfs with a granulate filling are in wide-

spread use.

24 | 25

Contact

Dr Rudolf Hufenus rudolf.hufenus@empa.ch

The cross-sectional geometry of the fiber: at thecenter are five thin polyamide cores, surrounded bya polyethylene sheath.

Blades of “grass” which form the artificial turf,developed by Empa, TISCA TIARA and Schramm GmbH.

Finding the right cross-sectionA joint research team of Empa and the in-

spire-institute for rapid product develop-

ment (irpd) has, together with the Swiss ar-

tificial turf manufacturer TISCA TIARA and

the German fiber producer Schramm GmbH,

now succeeded in developing a bicompo-

nent fiber which combines the desirable

properties of both polymers. The scientists

had the idea of making the inner core of the

fiber out of polyamide. The rigidity of this

polymer ensures that the fiber always

straightens up after being bent. The outside

of the fiber, on the other hand, consists of a

low friction sheath made of polyethylene,

designed to prevent injury when players

slide on the synthetic turf.

In the next phase of the project, which is fi-

nancially supported by the Swiss Commis-

sion for Technology and Innovation CTI, re-

searchers began to study the modeling of

various fiber cross sections. The starting pa-

rameters were, for example, the cross-sec-

tional geometry of the fiber and the material

properties of both polymers, which had pre-

viously been measured by mechanical test-

ing. The way that the fibers responded to

load – that is how they bent under playing

conditions – also formed part of the model.

The modelling process used all this data to

generate a simulation of the stress and

stretching behavior of the fiber. When the

first prototypes of the bicomponent fiber

were tested under load, the researchers

found that the core and the sheath separated

from each other. The optimization process

then implemented to overcome this problem

led to the fibers being made with a very spe-

cial cross-section. They were no longer

made of a single thick core of polyamide but

consisted of several thin ones instead. Be-

cause the core was now much better embed-

ded in the sheath, the two components of

the fiber no longer tended to break apart un-

der stress.

Synthetic turf in Ecublens and BuerglenFootball fields made of the new artificial turf

are already installed in Ecublens (near Lau-

sanne) and Buerglen in Canton Thurgau,

and the players are completely satisfied with

the new playing surfaces.

At the moment, certification of the new syn-

thetic turf by FIFA is not being considered

because the current standards do not reflect

the latest developments in the field and in

practice favor only artificial turfs with gran-

ulate filling. Despite this, it is expected that

the newly developed product will establish

itself commercially because it offers signifi-

cantly better properties than conventional

synthetic turfs.

Everything’s Running Smoothly – Thanks to Ceramics

Friction remains a problem for all kinds of devices, bethey machines, instruments, mechanical gears or evenautomobiles. It reduces their service life and precision,and increases their energy consumption and operatingnoise. Empa and its partners are engaged in the searchfor materials with particularly favorable frictionalproperties such as ceramics.

A complex structure fashionedfrom a polymer. The heattreatment process converts the“greenbody” (raw material)into ceramic.

2 mm

“Friction generates heat”, something every

child knows from the experience of rubbing

their freezing hands together in winter. With

machinery, though, heat generated by fric-

tion is a bad sign – surfaces rubbing against

each other waste energy and cause wear. In

fact, up to half the energy consumed by a

mechanical device can go to waste in this

way. This is where lubricants can often help,

but not always. In certain circumstances

they cannot be used, for example when the

contact services are inaccessible, in vacuum

systems or because they are forbidden by

hygiene regulations. In these cases solid lu-

bricants or lubricating surfaces must be

used. Another possibility is to use materials

w

s

r

j

f

b

CM

f

i

i

m

s

g

s

ith particularly good wearing properties or

liding characteristics. For these reasons ce-

amics have been used for artificial hip

oints for many years, and they are also used

or other demanding applications such as

rake blocks or heat shielding tiles.

eramics for the tiniest parts too? echanical loads are, however, not just

ound in large-scale macrosystems, but also

n very small devices such as microelectron-

c mechanical systems (MEMS). Generally

ade out of metal, these minute and highly

tructured parts must also be lubricated or

iven smooth coatings. Mechanical preci-

ion gears or micro-pumps, for example,

must regularly undergo expensive and time-

consuming servicing. Conventional ceramic

manufacturing processes are based on com-

pressing or extruding powders and cannot

be used to create the extremely fine struc-

tures necessary for MEMS. Empa scientists,

however, had the idea of using polymer-de-

rived ceramics or PDCs for this purpose.

This is a relatively new material which in its

original form is soft and easy to shape. In its

liquid version it can even be molded. After

it has been hardened and heat-treated at

over 1000 degrees Celsius the polymer is

converted into solid ceramic. By varying the

chemical composition and heat treatment

parameters the design, microstructure and

Contact

Jakob Küblerjakob.kuebler@empa.ch

26 | 27

The “spider” made of PDC-ceramic shows that evenvery fine structures canbe faithfully reproduced inhigh-quality ceramic.

2 mm

properties of the resulting devices can be tai-

lored as required. To date, the process has

been used on a macroscopic scale for the in-

dustrial production of fibers and ceramic

matrix materials as well as for creating pro-

tective surfaces, functional coatings, porous

bodies and filaments. A potential market

niche could be the fabrication of miniatur-

ized components, as successful trials at

Empa in collaboration with the Microsys-

tems Laboratory 1 of the Swiss Federal Insti-

tute of Technology (EPF) in Lausanne have

indicated. This project was in part financial-

ly supported by the Swiss Commission for

Technology and Innovation CTI.

SlI

M

s

m

a

p

e

i

t

c

d

o

l

pecific properties still tooittle understoodt will probably be some time before the PDC-

EMS technique becomes established in,

ay, the mechanical precision industry or

edical technology branch. The mechanical

nd application-specific characteristics of

arts made this way, in particular those relat-

d to frictional effects, must be investigated

n more detail and further improved. Al-

hough PDC parts normally have very good

oefficients of friction, in small, very mobile

evices compressive and tensile stresses may

ccur which exceed allowable limits and can

ead to mechanical failure. In addition, the

raw material (the so-called greenbody)

shrinks during the heat treatment process by

about a third, which makes the production of

very precise devices considerably more diffi-

cult. In order to meet the low tolerances re-

quired for MEMS devices the shrinking

process must be understood in detail so that

the greenbody can be dimensioned exactly.

Old Buildings

High-Performance Thermal Insulation Systems for

Generally speaking, Switzerland has one of the highest build-ing standards worldwide. Nevertheless, a majority of itshouses, particularly older buildings, are poorly insulated. Goodinsulation is normally synonymous with using thick layers ofinsulating material. Recent CO2 and energy savings policieshave created a need for better – and therefore thinner –materials. Empa is developing various types of high-perfor-mance insulation systems which offer a high level of thermalinsulation even when only applied as comparably thin layers.

Despite their thinness, the newest insulating systems such as vacuum insulationpanels offer a very high level of performance.

Aerogels are good insulators be90 per cent air, trapped in nano

Winter is the season when many inadequate-

ly insulated houses become true wasters of

energy. There are several ways in which a

building can be renovated in thermal insula-

tion terms. Conventional insulation materials

(polymer foam, mineral wool) are, however,

rather voluminous and this can have an im-

pact on the architecture of the building. In

the case of old buildings in particular, con-

ventional materials frequently cannot be

used. Empa is conducting research on vari-

ous types of high-performance insulation

systems, some of which are still being devel-

oped while others are already available com-

mercially.

One example of a commercial system is the

vacuum insulation panel, or VIP, which has

been in use in the building industry for the

past ten years or so. This panel consists of a

cause they consist of more thanmeter-sized pores.

28 29

Hisingvatwitthe

core material filled with pores of sub-micro-

meter dimensions, which is encased in a pro-

tective and gastight foil. A bag-like outer shell

is welded tight at a vacuum level of about one

millibar. Because the internal pressure is so

low (about a thousandth of the normal air

pressure), VIPs offer excellent insulating ca-

pabilities, resisting the transmission of ther-

mal energy some five to ten times more effi-

ciently than conventional materials. Empa

has developed an accelerated test method to

determine how the insulating capacity of the

VIPs drops off with time. This “speeded-up”

process allows scientists to see if the panels

will still perform well after twenty-five years

in use, without of course having to wait that

long. The test results show that, when prop-

erly used, VIPs have a long operating lifetime

and therefore represent one of the best high-

performance insulation materials available.

torically important build-s can be elegantly reno-ed with an aerogel plasterhout having to modifyir external appearance.

Vacuum glazing offers superior thof sealing together two glass pantest (right) shows that the joint is

Aerogels – elegant insulating materialsAerogels are highly porous solids, whose vol-

ume contains at least 90 per cent of air in the

form of tiny pores with diameters of a few

nanometers. The trapped air “bubbles” trans-

mit heat very poorly since gas molecules are

trapped and cannot circulate or communi-

cate (transfer energy by collisions). Empa has

recently developed on the basis of aerogels

an insulating wall plaster whose thermal

conductivity is two to three times lower than

any conventional insulating plaster. The

Aerogel plaster therefore offers an ideal

means of renovating historic buildings in an

elegant manner, without altering their exter-

nal appearance. The first field trials are

planned for 2011, and first commercial prod-

ucts will be available in 2013.

ermal insulation. Empa scientists have discovered a methodels using tin alloys. The ultrasonic image of a laboratory continuous and of good quality.

|

The windows are just as important Well insulated roofs and walls are not much

use if heat is pouring out through poorly in-

sulated windows. Vacuum glazing, another

one of Empa’s research topics, offers signif-

icant energy savings potential when com-

pared to today’s windows. While it is true

that the double and triple glazed windows

used today boast very good insulating val-

ues, they are filled with the noble gases

krypton and xenon, supplies of which are

limited. Vacuum glazing does not require

nobel gas filings because “nothing” insu-

lates better. Empa is bidding on this technol-

ogy which offers better insulating values

than conventional triple glazing at a re-

duced weight and thickness. Scientists have

been investigating materials suitable for

sealing two panes of glass together for quite

some time. Recently, an Empa team has

found one technique that is particularly

promising which involves applying a special

tin alloy to the glass pane under vacuum

and sealing it by applying a voltage – soon

to be a patented technology. In addition,

Empa scientists have developed a numerical

model which helps to understand ageing

processes in vacuum glazing systems and to

predict lifetimes under real-life conditions.

Contact

Dr Samuel Brunnersamuel.brunner@empa.ch

Dr Matthias Koebelmatthias.koebel@empa.ch

Laccases: Green Catalysts with Enormous Economic Potential

Enzymes are environmentally friendly and work under mild condi-tions. It is therefore no wonder that industry is interested inthese “biocatalysts”. For the wood and paper industries, and fortextile manufacturers too, one family of enzymes in particular –the laccases – seems to offer a great deal of promise.Empa researchers are making laccases “industry compatible”.

e enzyme laccase reacting with a colour generating

Enzymes normally do their work in aqueous

solutions at room temperature and atmos-

pheric pressure, without needing the help of

aggressive chemicals. In the case of the lac-

cases, a family of enzymes which are found

in all higher plants, fungi, and many bacte-

ria, no problematic by-products are generat-

ed either. The only “additive” necessary is

oxygen.

bstance on an agar plate (blue-green tint).

Laccases act as catalysts in the synthesis

and decomposition of lignin, the main con-

stituent of woody cells. This makes the en-

zymes candidates for use in a range of in-

dustrial applications, such as for treating the

cellulose pulp used in the paper industry.

The enzyme causes lignin, which colours

the paper brown, to break down, thereby

functioning as a “bio bleach”. Previously,

bleaching was achieved by chemical

processes which caused environmental pol-

lution. Laccases, on the other hand, are

biodegradable and are decomposed in waste

water treatment plants. Another potential

application is therefore the enzymatic treat-

ment of wastewater in the textile industry,

which was previously done by mechanical

or biological methods. Many chemicals used

in the textile industry are only poorly

biodegradable and show toxic effects.

Although laccases could possibly replace

many chemical and technical processes in

the industry, their wider use is currently pre-

cluded by the limited quantities of the en-

zymes commercially available and a price

that makes their use uneconomical.

Thsu

30 | 31

The cultivation of fungi in a bioreactor.

The filamentous fungi secrete the enzymelaccase into the culture medium.

The worlds of wood and bio-materialsresearch meet Empa researchers working in the “Wood”

and “Biomaterials” fields want to change

this situation. The wood experts have for

some time been investigating fungi which

decompose wood. They are studying not

just the damage caused by fungal attack, but

also how the material properties of the wood

can be improved as a result. The biomateri-

als team at Empa is also studying laccases,

although in this case the enzymes are de-

rived from bacteria.

The lack of research in this area which the

interdisciplinary team faces is still immense.

In particular very little is known about bac-

terial laccases. The first step is therefore to

characterize the specific features of laccases

derived from different bacteria and fungi.

This is being done with the help, for exam-

ple, of miniaturized enzyme tests based on

colour changes. In this technique scientists

study how quickly and specifically laccases

convert various substances, so-called en-

zyme substrates.

Heterobasidion annosum – the greatlaccase producerAfter a strain of bacteria or fungi with the

sought-after enzyme has been identified, the

conditions of production must be optimized

in order to maximize the yield. In the case of

bacterial laccases it is, in addition, possible

to insert the appropriate gene into a produc-

tion organism – for example the intestinal

bacteria E. coli – and then through a process

known as “directed evolution”, induce mod-

ifications in the protein sequence so that the

enzyme becomes more stable and active.

Empa is already in a position to announce a

first success. Using a newly developed

screening process, a fungus which causes

white rot in wood, Heterobasidion anno-

sum, has been identified to produce notably

high levels of laccases. In addition, the in-

stitution’s scientific team has succeeded in

producing a previously unknown, thermally

stable bacterial laccase in E. coli, then puri-

fying and characterizing it. Potential part-

ners from the fine chemical and wood indus-

tries have already been found. Further re-

search has therefore been taking place since

the beginning of 2011 within the framework

of two projects financed by the Swiss Inno-

vation Promotion Agency (CTI). The use of

laccases on an industrial scale is expected to

become a reality in the foreseeable future.

Contact

Dr Mark Schubertmark.schubert@empa.ch

Dr Julian Ihssenjulian.ihssen@empa.ch

Self-Healing Membranes – Nature Shows the Way

In the search for new technical solutions to existing problems, researchershave always been inspired by examples of construction principles foundin nature. For instance, the study of the self-healing process which occursin vines sparked the idea of how self-repairing membranes might bedeveloped. In the future this will mean that the membranes used to makeinflatable objects will not just be water and airtight, but also be capableof repairing small holes by themselves.

A hole in an inflatable dingh

dangerous when it lets the a

that the boat sinks before re

ty of dry land. Having to sp

a leaky air mattress is less

still an uncomfortable

though if the leak is slow en

Is there anything as relaxing as lying on a gently rocking air mattress when it is waterproof and airtight? In the futuresmall holes in the walls of inflatable objects will be able to repair themselves. (iStock)

y only becomes

ir out so quickly

aching the safe-

end a night on

dramatic but

situation,

ough one

might still get a reasonable night’s

sleep. Self-repairing layers should in

future ensure that the membranes

used to make inflatable objects are

not just waterproof and airtight, but

will be able to spontaneously repair

small holes in their surfaces – even if

only temporarily.

This idea has its origins in nature. In the

natural world, biomimetic experts have re-

peatedly discovered amazing construction

techniques which engineers have been able

to use as a basis for developing numerous

solutions to technical problems. This in-

cludes the self-healing of materials. The

self-healing abilities of Aristolochia macro-

phylla, a liana commonly known as the

Dutchman’s pipe found in the mountain

forests of North America, provided the deci-

sive clue to biologists at the Plant Biome-

chanics Group of the University of Freiburg.

If the anchoring ring of woody cells which

gives young plants their flexural strength is

damaged in the course of the liana’s growth,

the plant immediately seals the wound.

Parenchymal cells from the base interior tis-

sue rapidly expand to close the wound from

within. The actual healing process begins in

a later phase, when cell division occurs and

the repairing cells eventually lignify.

32 | 33

Cell repair in a pipevine (Aristolochia mtissue suddenly expand if the lignified (a and b), and in a later phase (c) theyGroup, University of Freiburg im Breisg

A membrane made of polyvinyl chloride-polyester(yellowish colour) is punctured with a 2.5-millimeterdiameter needle, and at that moment thepolyurethane foam (brown) suddenly expands.(Photo: Empa)

1mm

50 μm

a b

“Self-repairing” inflatable structures This principle has now been applied to other

materials – more exactly, to membranes – in

a biomimetic project funded by the German

Federal Ministry for Education and Re-

search. An additional coating of flexible

closed-cell polymer foam helps to signifi-

cantly reduce pressure losses caused by

small areas of damage on the membrane.

While scientists at the University of Freiburg

and the Freiburg Materials Research Center

have been concentrating on the biological

and chemical aspects of the vine’s self-heal-

ing abilities, researchers from Empa’s Cen-

ter for Synergetic Structures have been

working on technical solutions for creating

these kinds of polymer membranes. Their

interest is not only oriented towards rubber

dinghies and air mattresses, but also to load-

bearing pneumatic structures for use in

c

acrophylla). Parenchymal cells of the base interiorcells of the outside supporting tissue are damaged eventually lignify. (Photos: Plant Biomechanicsau)

50 μm 50 μm

lightweight mechanical assemblies. An ex-

ample of the latter is the Tensairity girder,

which serves as a supporting element in the

construction of light, rapidly assembled

bridges and roofs.

The goal of the investigation was to clarify

under what conditions a hole closes when

the foam layer on the membrane stretches

after suffering damage. This process was

studied in the course of a doctoral disserta-

tion with the help of specially developed test

equipment, which subjects the membrane

to air pressure after which it is punctured by

a nail. A suitable “puncture repair material”

has also been found – the membrane is giv-

en an internal coating of a two-component

polyurethane foam. If this foam is synthe-

sized under particular pressure conditions it

abruptly expands when damaged, immedi-

ately blocking off the hole.

This has allowed scientists to reach high “re-

pair factors” in the laboratory, which means

that whereas a damaged air mattress with a

volume of 200 liters needs to be pumped up

every five minutes, it can hold its air for eight

hours after it is given a polyurethane coating.

The time for the pressure to drop from 200 to

50 millibars is long enough that the user can

sleep through a night. The researchers now

know enough about the foam to enable them

to conduct discussions with foam and mem-

brane manufacturers regarding industrial ap-

plications of the new technique.

Contact

Rolf Luchsingerrolf.luchsinger@empa.ch

Material

Flexible Solar Cells – Collecting the Sun’s Energy Using Woven

Conventional silicon-based rigid solar cells generally found on the market arenot suitable for manufacturing moldable thin-film solar cells, in which atransparent, flexible and electrically conductive electrode collects the light andcarries away the current. A woven polymer electrode developed by Empa hasnow produced first results which are very promising, indicating that the newmaterial may be a substitute for indium tin oxide coatings.

Flexible precision fabric which, in cooperation withthe Swiss company Sefar AG, was developed intoan electrode for thin-film solar cells.

The scarcity of raw materials and increasing

usage of rare metals is making electronic

components and devices more and more

costly. Such rare metals are used, for exam-

ple, to make the transparent electrodes

found in mobile phone touchscreen dis-

plays, liquid-crystal displays, organic LEDs

and thin-film solar cells. The material of

choice in these cases is indium tin oxide

(ITO), a largely transparent mixed oxide. Be-

cause ITO is relatively expensive, however,

it is uneconomic to use in large area appli-

cations such as solar cells.

The search for alternativesIndium-free transparent oxides do exist, but

with demand for them increasing they too are

tending to become scarce. In addition, the

principal disadvantages such as brittleness

remain. The search for alternative coatings

which are both transparent and electrically

conductive is therefore intense, with materials

such as conductive polymers, carbon nano-

tubes or graphenes coming under scrutiny.

Carbon-based electrodes, however, generally

show excessive surface resistance values

which make them poor electrical conductors.

If a metallic grid is integrated into the organic

layer, it reduces not just its resistance but also

its mechanical stability. If a solar cell made

out of this material is bent, the electrode lay-

ers fracture and no longer conduct electricity.

The challenge is therefore to make flexible

and yet stable conductive substrates, ideally

using a large-scale, economic and continuous

industrial process.

Circular organic solar cells manufactured in the laboratory.Red-brown: active organic layer; silver-grey: top electrode.Clearly visible in the photo are the woven metal wires.

Act

Plas

Transparent electrode

34 | 35

Cross

One solution: woven electrodes One particularly promising possibility is the

use of a transparent flexible woven polymer,

which Empa has developed together with

the company Sefar AG in a project financially

supported by the Swiss Commission for Tech-

nology and Innovation (CTI). Sefar, which

specializes in precision fabrics, is able to pro-

duce the woven polymer economically and in

large quantities using a roll-to-roll process

similar to the way newspapers are printed.

Metal wires woven into the material ensure

that it is electrically conductive. In a second

process step the material is embedded in an

inert plastic layer which does not, however,

completely cover the metal filaments, thus

retaining its conductivity. The electrode

ive layer Transparent electro

tic layer Light

Back electrode

-section of a thin-film solar cell with a woven electrode.

which results is transparent, stable and yet

flexible. The Empa researchers then applied

a series of coatings to this new substrate to

create a novel organic solar cell whose effi-

ciency is compatible to conventional ITO-

based cells. In addition, the woven electrode

is significantly more stable when deformed

than commercially available flexible plastic

substrates to which a thin layer of conduc-

tive ITO has been applied.

de Metal wires

Contact

Dr Roland Hanyroland.hany@empa.ch

Stadt Ausserorts Autobahn

Different Ways of Achieving Sustainable Mobility

Hybrid and natural gas fuelled automobiles represent environmentally friendlyalternatives to conventional petrol and diesel engined vehicles because theyperform much better than the latter in terms of CO2 emissions. Empa hasmade a comparative study of the emission behaviors of hybrid and natural gasfuelled vehicles in order to determine which type is “greener”.

2.0

1.8

CO2 emissions from hybrid, natural gas and petrol fuelledvehicles (three vehicles per category). To improve thecomparison, the CO2 emissions are based on the actualwork done (in kWh) during the driving cycle.

1.6

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0

CO

2-Em

issi

onen

in k

g/k

Wh

Hybrid Erdgas Benzin Hybrid Erdgas Benzin Hybrid Erdgas Benzin

It is generally recognized today that global

CO2 emissions must be reduced. When deal-

ing with mobility there are, however, differ-

ent ways of achieving this goal. Empa re-

searchers have therefore investigated the

fuel consumption and exhaust emissions be-

havior of hybrid and natural gas fuelled au-

tomobiles on a chassis dynamometer. Once

they used the mandatory standard driving

profile known as the New European Driving

Cycle or NEDC, which frequently tends to

lower consumption figures compared with

real world driving. The Empa scientists

therefore also used a driving profile which

much better represents the reality of vehicle

use in cities, in rural areas and on motor-

ways.

Hybrid cars as city runaboutsThe comparison with conventional petrol

fuelled cars shows that hybrid vehicles are

up to twice as efficient when driven in urban

situations, a great advantage in terms of fuel

consumption and CO2 emissions. Stop-and-

go traffic coupled with moderate road

speeds are conditions which particularly fa-

vor hybrid vehicles. On the other hand, in

rural settings they are only slightly better,

and on the motorway they perform no better

at all than petrol fuelled vehicles. The high

power required to travel at motorway speeds

means that the hybrid’s electric motor is

hardly capable of supporting the vehicle’s

engine.

In the case of natural gas fuelled vehicles,

the CO2 emissions in urban driving are

about 20 to 25 per cent lower than for petrol

engined cars. On the open road they are as

“clean” as hybrids and on the motorway

they in fact emit less CO2.

If you want an environmentally friendly car, consider hybrid vehiclesor those fuelled by natural gas. In terms of CO2 emissions, theyperform significantly better than petrol or diesel fuelled automobiles.

36 | 37

The most environmentallyfriendly biofuels are primarilythose produced using wasteand residual materials. Thisis shown by the results of thestudy conducted by Empa forTA-SWISS. (iStock)

Intensive research onnatural gas fuelled vehiclesA further advantage of natural gas powered

vehicles is that their exhaust contains lower

levels of ozone-destroying precursor sub-

stances or chemicals which are dangerous to

human health. They also offer the opportu-

nity to reduce our dependence on crude oil

as an energy source. For these reasons,

Empa has long conducted intensive research

in this area. The newest project is entitled

“the near Zero Emissions Vehicle” (nZEV)

and it has an ambitious goal – reducing the

quantity of noble metals needed to manu-

facture the catalytic converters used in nat-

ural gas fuelled vehicles while maintaining

pollutant emissions at their current near

zero levels. This is to be achieved with the

help of a novel, turbulent flow catalyst sub-

strate, which has been specially developed

for natural gas fuelled vehicles.

Contact

Christian Bachchristian.bach@empa.ch

Dr Rainer Zahrainer.zah@empa.ch

Biofuels instead of crude oil

One way of reducing the CO2 emissions of petrol,

diesel and natural gas fuelled vehicles is to use

biofuels, another field in which the institution is

also active. Empa scientists have, for example,

analyzed how far it might be possible to replace

fossil fuels with biofuels in Switzerland. A study

published last summer investigated second-gener-

ation biofuels, which use practically all forms of

biomass as their raw material – not just oil, sugar

and starch, but also green waste, straw, farmyard

manure and woody plant waste. In other words,

fuels primarily derived from waste organic

material. The results of the study showed, how-

ever, that the quantity of biofuels available in

Switzerland would, given the current mobility

needs of the population, only cover some eight per

cent of today's fuel consumption. If, however,

electric vehicles were used to meet urban mobility

needs and if the fuel consumption of internal

combustion engines were to be reduced to the

lowest level technically possible, then the biofuels

available in Switzerland could contribute to

40 per savings of fossil fuels compared to today.

Energy Saving Lamps and Electric Cars:How Environmentally Friendly are They?

Electric vehicles are considered to be ecologically advantageous. Butwhether their lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are environmentallysustainable was, for a considerable time, unclear. Energy saving lampshave also been criticized because of their mercury content. Empahas conducted life-cycle analyses on both these items and the resultsshow that in the final analysis their environmental friendliness is

determined by the current mixture used for the operation.

An Empa investigation has shown that a petrol car musthave a fuel consumption of between three and fourliters per hundred kilometers in order to be as environ-mentally friendly as the electric car studied, which waspowered by lithium-ion batteries charged with the averageEuropean current mixture. (Claus Ableiter,r,r Wikipedia)

Debates on climate change are omnipresent

and public disquiet is sometimes high. ToToT

maintain ourmobility at its current levels will

need the use of new technologies, and bat-

tery-powered electric vehicles, for example,

will almost certainly play a significant role in

providing for mobility in the future.

MMoosstt oofftteenn lliitthhiiuumm-iioonn rreecchhaarrggeeaabbllee bbaatttteerriieess

are used for this purpose because in compar-

ison with lead acid and nickel metal-hydride

batteries they are lighter and can store more

energy. In addition, they are practically main-

tenance-free, do not lose storage capacity in

repeated partial discharge, are considered to

be safe and have a long service life. Empa sci-

entists have therefore calculated their ecolog-

ical footprint. All significant factors met dur-

ing the whole life cycle of the batteries, from

manufacture to operation and then disposal,

were taken into account during the analysis.

pedi

a

European power mix puts batteriesat a disadvantageThe Empa scientists discovered that the lithi-

um-ion batteries used in electric cars have

only a moderate environmental impact, con-

sidered over their entire lifetime. On the other

hand, they found that it is the regular charg-

iiinngg ooff tthhee bbaatttteerriieess wwhhiicchh ccaauusseess tthhee hhiigghheesstt

eenvironmental impact. The power mixture

ggenerally met in Europe, which consists of

nnuclear,r,r hydroelectric and coal-fired power,r,r is

rresponsible for three times more environ-

mmental damage than the batteries them-

sselves. If the charging current is supplied ex-

cclusively by coal-fired power stations, then

tthe ecobalance of electric cars exacerbates.

OOn the other hand, if only hydroelectric pow-

eer is used the ecobalance improves. The

EEmpa study concludes that a petrol car must

hhave a fuel consumption of three to four liters

pper hundred kilometers in order to be as en-

vvironmentally friendly as the electric car,

wwhich was operated with the average Euro-

ppean current mixture. The petrol car actually

uused for comparison purposes had a con-

ssumption of 5.2 liters per 100 kilometers

wwhen tested using the New European Driving

CCycle, meaning that it belongs to the best in

iits category in terms of fuel consumption.

Secr

etDi

sc,W

iki

Piopipüi

38 | 39

Contact

Dr Dominic Notterdominic.notter@empa.ch

Roland Hischierroland.hischier@empa.ch

f

l

s

e

E

b

s

o

t

“

fi

a

s

h

c

m

e

m

e

During the first 50 (European power mixture, left) to 180 operating hours (Swiss power mixture, right)the incandescent lamp is actually better than its competitors in ecological terms.

Tungsten Lamp0.25

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.000 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600

Halogen LampFluorescent LampCompact Fluorescent Lamp

Intersection A: Tungsten/Compact Fluorescent LampIntersection B: Tungsten/Halogen LampIntersection C: Tungsten/Fluorescent Lamp

Break-even point Swiss electricity mix

burning period in hours

EIP = Eco indicator points

A B C

EIP

Tungsten Lamp

Intersection A: Tungsten/Compact Fluorescent LampIntersection B: Tungsten/Halogen LampIntersection C: Tungsten/Fluorescent Lamp

Halogen LampFluorescent LampCompact Fluorescent Lamp

EIP = Eco indicator points

0.25EIP

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.000 50 100 150

A B

Break-even point European electricity mix

C burning period in hours200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 6000

More mercury emitted by coal firedpower stations than from energysaving lampsA similar situation exists for compact fluores-

cent lamps (CFLs), more commonly known

as energy saving lamps. Here again it is the

operation of the lamps which causes the

highest environmental impact. In a study, an

Empa team investigated not just the ecologi-

cal footprint of energy saving lamps but also

that of other kinds of lighting. This showed

that both production and disposal processes

cause negligible environmental damage.

What does, however,r,r cause significant envi-

ronmental damage is the operation of the

lamps. Exactly as in the case of electric cars,

it is the source of the electric power used to

supply the lampswhich is decisive. An incan-

descent bulb which is powered by electricity

rom a hydroelectricc plant actually causes

ess environmental iimpact than an energy

aving lamp which iss operated using the av-

rage European curreent mixture.

nergy saving lamps hhave also been pilloried

ecause they containn mercury. This is only

et free, however,r,r whhen the lamp is broken

pen or incinerated wwhen thrown out with

he household rubbishh. In comparison to the

normal” mercury emmissions of a single coal-

red power station, tthe quantities involved

re small. A 1000 Meggawatt coal-fired power

tation sets free abouut 45 g of mercury – per

our. Throughout Euurope compact fluores-

ent lamps are allowwed to contain a maxi-

um of five mg of meercury. Putting it anoth-

r way, a coal-fired ppower station emits as

uch mercury every hhour as is found in 9000

nergy saving lamps.

Volcanic Ash over Europe – from Measurements to Improved Predictions

Empa researchers can identify emission sources by analyzing pollutionconcentration measurements in conjunction with atmospheric transportmodels. Turning this process on its head, they can also use thesecomputer models in combination with weather forecasts to makepredictions of pollution levels, as they did in spring 2010, when the ashcloud from Eyjafjallajökull, the Icelandic volcano, spread over Europe.

On the evening of April 17th 2010, Empa

measuring instrumentation on the Jungfra

joch registered exceptionally high levels

sulfur dioxide (SO2) and fine particulate ma

ter (PM10) in the atmosphere. The carbo

monoxide concentrations were, on the oth

hand, normal. This is an indication that th

A comparison of the ash dispersion model data (left) with satesome two days after the main eruption. At this point the ash cfrom central Europe to Russia. The simulation predicted this dedata: Free University of Brussels)

In spring 2010 Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano becameactive again. (wikipedia)

Longitude (°E)

Latit

ude

(°N

)

5 10 20

75

70500

400

300

200

100

65

60

55

50

45

40

35300-10-20 40 Ash column

mass [mg/m2]-30

’s

u-

of

t-

n

er

e

SO2 and PM10 peaks did not originate from

man-made emissions from the European con-

tinent. Normally in such cases the question

arises as to where the pollutants come from,

but in this case the answer was already clear

– the cloud of ash caused by the eruption of

the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland on

April 14th had spread over central Europe.

llite observations (right) made on Apr 17th 2010,loud had assumed a long, drawn out shape stretchingvelopment very accurately. (Source of IASI Satellite

Longitude (°E)

Latit

ude

(°N

)

75

3

2

1

70

65

60

55

50

45

40

35ARI [K]5 10 20 300-10-20 40-30

40 | 41

PM10

[µg

m-3

]

Unmistakable chemical signatureEmpa experts immediately analyzed the

chemical composition of the fine particles

and soon identified the characteristic “signa-

ture” of Icelandic volcanic ash: metals (such

as titanium, in the form of titanium-dioxide)

as well as high concentrations of elements

from the rare earths group. The measuring

station on the Jungfraujoch, which is at an

exposed position of 3580 meters above sea

level, was ideally located for tracing this vol-

canic plume that resided in the atmosphere

away from the earth surface. Of the other

measuring stations at lower altitudes belong-

ing to the Swiss National Air Pollution Mon-

itoring Network (NABEL) , only that at Basel-

Binningen recorded increased levels of PM10

and SO2 from the 18th to 20th of April.

In contrast to this, during the second episode

from 18th to 20th May, north foehn winds car-

ried the cloud of volcanic ash directly over the

Alps. South of the mountains the dry, falling

air currents then carried volcanic ash into the

valleys of Ticino. The NABEL measuring sta-

tions at Jungfraujoch, Lugano und Magadino-

Cadenazzo all registered practically identical

high concentrations of PM10 and SO2.

15

12

9

6

3

0

0.1

0.1

0.0

0.0

0.0

0

TiO2

PM10

14. Apr 15. Apr 16. Apr 17. Apr 18. Apr 19. Apr 20. Apr 21. Apr

Short-term forecasts are muchin demandAbove all, the Federal Office of Civil Aviation

(FOCA) is very interested in these measure-

ments and, in particular, in accurate fore-

casts. Based on this information and numer-

ous other data inputs, FOCA officials must

decide whether to declare, extend or rescind

air traffic exclusion zones. Such decisions

can have knock-on effects costing regional

economies large sums of money, so rapid and

accurate prognoses are obviously extremely

important.

The team of Empa atmospheric scientists

therefore turned their computer model upside

down. Normally pollution measurement data

is combined with the dispersion model to re-

trace the pollutant transport path back to iden-

tify the source region. This procedure can be

reversed, and with the help of weather fore-

casts it allows scientists to calculate how air

pollution from a source will disperse over the

following two or three days. For the computa-

tionally intensive calculation of the volcanic

ash dispersion simulation, the Empa team

used the FLEXPFART particle dispersion mod-

el on their “Ipazia” computer cluster.

The course of the average daily values of fine particulatematter (PM10) and the proportion of titanium-dioxidemeasured on the Jungfraujoch between April 14th and21nd, 2010. The contribution made by the volcanicash to the PM10 value can be inferred from the titanium-dioxide fraction. On April 18th and 19th more than70 per cent of the PM10 was of volcanic origin.

5

2

9

6

3

TiO

2 [µ

gm

-3]

Shortly after the research group calculated

the dispersion characteristics of the first ash

cloud on April 16th, they were actually able

to automize the simulation procedure. The

results were then transmitted directly to Me-

teoSwiss (the Swiss weather service) and the

FOCA. The Empa data supplemented meas-

urements of the optical ash characteristics

made by the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and

laser-based lidar measurements made by the

ETH Zurich and MeteoSwiss. These other

measurements allowed scientists to calculate

the size distribution and vertical profile, but

not the exact mass concentration of the par-

ticles in the cloud.

The Empa scientists used their measurement

data, on the one hand, to describe more ac-

curately the properties of the Icelandic vol-

canic ash in the model and, on the other, to

validate their dispersion simulation. With the

help of a convective volcano cloud model,

they managed to make more precise assess-

ments of that great unknown factor in the

simulation of ash clouds – the actual magni-

tude of the eruption and the initial height of

the ash cloud, on which the quantity of eject-

ed magma (in the form of ash) depends. In

future the researchers will be able to feed

data on the height of the volcanic eruption

into the simulation, thereby generating more

accurate forecasts.

Contact

Dr Stephan Hennestephan.henne@empa.ch

Dr Christoph Hüglinchristoph.hueglin@empa.ch

Defective Microelectronics – Sleuthing Ability Required!

Small but by no means unimportant: defective electronic componentscan lead to malfunctions, not only in computer systems but also inentire transportation systems or power plants, and as a result incurenormous expense. Experts at Empa are playing the role ofdetective for industry and have taken causal research to the highest level.

Switch cabinetsControl board

Assembly

DesignerMAIN UNIT UNIT UNIT UNIT

ELECTRONICS

Up to 30 suppliers

Diodes LEDs

Coils

Resistance

etc.

ICs

Clamps

Condenser

Control unit Generator

In a complex electronic system, thousands

upon thousands of components and modules

must work together smoothly. If there’s a sys-

tem outage, virtually an infinite number of

errors could be responsible. It’s almost like

trying to find the proverbial needle in a

haystack when – for example in a wind tur-

bine – for no apparent reason perfectly good

diodes start failing on a regular basis.

With this kind of problems the experts in mi-

croelectronics of Empa’s Reliability Network

are regularly confronted. Together they use

their skills as sleuths to investigate such fail-

ures as well as to uncover weaknesses in

components, circuits and their applications.

In the process they bring some surprising re-

sults to the light of day. The team operates as

do specialized physicians in a group practice.

The “patients” are components and modules

from power electronics, microelectronics and

optoelectronics. The industrial customers

fear extremely high costs as a consequence

of a system failure.

The Empa experts first conduct a diagnosis

meeting. They examine factors such as how

the interconnections in the application are

laid out, who delivered the modules or how

long a component has been in use. In the case

of the wind turbine, however, neither did the

components exhibit manufacturing defects

nor did the schematics reveal any defects.

Nonetheless, small diodes were failing in the

same location in a module with integrated

rectifiers. Redundant systems – a type of re-

placement system which steps in if there is

ever an operating malfunction – prevent

higher level components, in this case the gen-

erator control system, from being affected.

Even so, the continuous repair work proved

extremely time-consuming and expensive in

the remotely located wind turbines.

Piopipüi

42 | 43

Building/tower Mechanics Rotor

Electro-statics

Thoftcachto

Especially in remote locations, the repair of failed electroniccomponents can become time-consuming and expensive.(Beatrice Huber)

Painstaking detective workConstructing a technical system such as a

wind turbine is almost as complicated as the

control systems it contains. One supplier

erects the tower and turbine blades, while

another develops the required control sys-

tems, which in turn contain countless elec-

tronic components from further manufac-

turers that are finally assembled into the

overall control system by a further partner

in the manufacturing chain. Having 30 or

more suppliers involved is not unusual. This

results in numerous interfaces, and errors

can creep in at each one.

Empa’s Reliability Network has at its dispos-

al an arsenal of investigative equipment and

manipulation processes for microstructures

which is virtually unique in all of Switzer-

land: Focused Ion Beam (FIB), scanning and

transmission electron microscopes (SEM

and TEM), special preparation and grinding

e reason for a system outageen is not evident. In thisse, it was the electrostaticarging of the rotor which ledthe failure of the diodes.

machines, emission microscopes, thermal

laser simulation or infrared thermography.

First the experts attempt to localize the fail-

ure in the component, which is generally a

microchip the size of a fingernail with mil-

lions of transistors. If they are unsuccessful,

they turn to a systems analysis. Sometimes

it’s the apparently unimportant but instead

rather random details which put them on

the right track.

In the case of the wind turbine, additional

discussions with the responsible engineers

led to the solution of this puzzle. They re-

ported, among other things, an observation

in the rotor’s grounding system which in

their eyes was of no real consequence. It was

the electrostatic charging of the wind tur-

bine which penetrated into the shaft and

thus led indirectly to the failure of the

diodes. A large rotor diameter creates large

electrostatic voltages on the rotor axle. If

this is not properly grounded, tiny sparks

jump across, and they are coupled as voltage

impulses into the electronics through the ca-

bling conduits.

The solution was to set up proper ground-

ing, optimize the conduits to avoid interfer-

ence with large impulses from neighboring

circuits and to add additional protective el-

ements to the circuit at certain points.

Contact

Prof. Peter Jacobpeter.jacob@empa.ch

Empa as a Partner

Technology Transfer

Encouraging innovation through cooperation

Thanks to its collaboration with internationally active SMEs and partner-ships with selected national and international academic organizations,Empa can today boast of a comprehensive network of contacts in its re-search areas. The institution forms a bridge between applications-orientedresearch and the requirements of industry and economy, with the goal oftaking research results and converting them into marketable innovations.

The firm Stellba Schweisstechnik AG, in coop-eration with Empa, has developed andpatented a method of repairing damage tospray coatings of tungsten carbide composite.(Stellba AG)

60

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2006 2007 2009 201020080

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Confidentiality and material

Num

ber

In the past few years Empa has significantlyincreased the number of industrial co-operation contracts, as well as confidentialityand material transfer agreements.

Empa is characterized by its multifaceted

and interdisciplinary research activities, in

the course of which it proactively makes

contact with potential industrial partners in

order to analyze and find solutions to the ur-

gent problems of our time. In doing so it cre-

ates the basis for innovation that allows to

develop new markets.

Empa research for the marketThe Technology Transfer Office (TT Office)

represents an important link between the re-

search departments of the institution and its

external partners. It supplies the answers to

legal questions concerning all aspects of co-

operation with companies, academic estab-

lishments and public bodies. In conjunction

with the research staff involved, it is also re-

sponsible for drafting and negotiating the

necessary contracts, as well as for dealing

with questions of the protection and valida-

tion of intellectual property. The number of

processes and products which, thanks to

Empa know-how, have been commercial-

ized over the past few years is rising contin-

uously.

Repairing the damage to turbineblade coatings Erosion causes wear in hydraulic turbines.

The resulting repair and maintenance is a

time-consuming and expensive process. Coat-

ing the turbine blades with hard surface layers

extends the operational lifetime of the turbine,

it is true, but these suffer some damage over

time too. The company Stellba Schweisstech-

nik AG and Empa have worked together to de-

velop a patentable method to repair the dam-

age in spray coated layers of tungsten carbide

composite material. Tests under operating

conditions have already completely confirmed

the laboratory findings.

Industrial cooperation contracts

transfer agreements

Piopipüi

7

The multilayer organic solar cell developed by Empa is very flexible. The polymer coatedtextile substrate can be economically produced on a large scale.

0

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Contracting* Active exploitation (Licensing/Option/Sales)New exploitation New patent applicationsSubsequent applications

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*Excluding NDAs, MTAs and service activities (material investigations, expert reports, and independent evaluations)

Empa know-how onthe way to the market:Industry is showinga great deal of interestin the commercialexploitation of theknowledge the institu-tion has accumulated.

46 | 4

Insulation material regulates indoorair humidity High levels of air humidity in poorly venti-

lated rooms can lead to mildew attack, dam-

age to the building substance and in extreme

cases can damage the health of the occu-

pants. Empa has developed a manufacturing

process for a material combination which is

capable of trapping water vapor and can be

integrated into insulating boards. The novel

material does not just actively regulate air

humidity but also acts as acoustic damping.

In addition, it cleanses the indoor air and is

barely flammable. The humidity-storing ma-

terial will be produced by a leading manu-

facturer of insulating materials and is ex-

pected to be commercially available in 2011.

Multilayer organic solar cellsFlexible solar cells made of organic semi-

conductor materials can be simply and eco-

nomically manufactured using roller and

printing processes. In order to ensure the

market success of these still-young tech-

nologies, however, the operational lifetime

and efficiency of the cells must be consider-

ably improved. Empa researchers have now

found a way of minimizing the energy bar-

rier between the organic materials and ex-

ternal electrodes, thereby significantly en-

hancing the charge transfer and the conver-

sion rate of multilayer organic cells. The

technology is being further developed to cre-

ate a marketable product by a start-up firm.

Contact

Marlen Müllermarlen.mueller@empa.ch

,

Technology Centers

glaTec and tebo – “incubators” for young entrepreneurs

Empa runs two “Business Incubators” for young entrepreneurs, glaTec and tebowhich support start-up firms in the first years of their existence by makingavailable to them numerous resources and services. In both incubators thenewly founded companies profit from professional management support, andthe expertise of and proximity to Empa. During the past year two “home-made”Empa spin-offs joined the ranks of the two incubators, raising their numbers toten, with a total of 53 staff. All in all, glaTec and tebo now house betweenthem 27 firms employing a total of 135 persons.

The start-up companyQualySense has leasedpremises in the glaTectechnology center from thebeginning of the year.Left to right: founderFrancesco Dell’Endice and

glaTec picks winnersThe excellent work of the young entrepre-

neurs in glaTec was in 2010 once again rec-

ognized with prestigious awards. The Empa

spin-off compliant concept received the cov-

eted KTI Medtech Award as well as the

Empa Innovation Prize, while Optotune

won the Swiss Technology Award for its

lenses which imitate the functioning of the

human eye.

Among the three finalists for the latter prize

in the “Seed” category was also QualySense,

which has been located in glaTec since June

2010. This company has developed a unique

process which allows grain to be sorted with

high precision in bulk quantities according

to biochemical quality markers. This en-

ables flour mills to substantially increase

their added value during cereal processing,

particularly during the production of high-

quality flour for bakeries and pasta manu-

facturers. In addition to this, a next step will

be the introduction of the technology to the

seed industry. Company founder and CEO

Francesco Dell’Endice intends to make

QualySense the global innovation leader in

the development and sale of high perform-

ance grain sorting systems based on quality

markers. This start-up firm, as also its glaTec

neighbors, was one of last year’s Venture-

Kick winners.

Tebo spreads its wings The “Startfeld” project took its first steps in

early 2010 in Eastern Switzerland. This super-

ordinate project is designed to encourage

support for young entrepreneurs in Eastern

Switzerland and the neighboring internation-

al Lake Constance region. Startfeld combines

existing initiatives and was initiated by the

his employees PaoloD’Alcini and Jakob Schultz.

Piopipüi

01 | 0648 | 49

A project supported by the Startfeld Association:a mineral-based substance for the treatment ofchronic sores and deep external wounds. Thediseased tissue is eliminated and healthy tissueencouraged to regenerate. (Gerolf Gehl)

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Num

ber

Firms

thereof Spin-offs

Employees total

Employees of Spin-offs

Empa’s Technology Centers aregrowing rapidly – more andmore young entrepreneurs andspin-off firms are leasing spacein them.

City of StGall administration, the University

of Applied Sciences (FHS) StGall, the Univer-

sity of StGall (HSG) as well as the tebo tech-

nology center at Empa StGall.

In the first year eight projects have been se-

lected from the sixty which were submitted to

Startfeld. The chosen projects will receive

support from the STARTFELD Association in

the form of coaching and service credits. Two

projects profit in particular from tebo and its

proximity to Empa. One concerns the devel-

opment of a new production method for man-

ufacturing fireproof stone products. The new

technology renders several individual steps in

the existing method redundant, thereby mak-

ing the manufacture of wood burning ovens

faster, better and more economic. The other

project focuses on a substance made from

natural mineral matter used for the treatment

of external wounds. The substance stimulates

the regeneration of the body’s own tissue,

particularly in the case of very deep or chron-

ic open wounds. Pilot studies have already

shown that diabetic foot, necrotic fingers and

other chronic open sores can be successfully

treated by this method. Before this new prod-

uct can be launched onto the market, howev-

er, it must gain official certification.

Contact

glaTecMario Jennimario.jenni@empa.ch

teboPeter Frischknechtpeter.frischknecht@empa.ch

Extending partnerships and networks

Collaboration with the economy has always been a high priorityfor Empa. The institution has historically enjoyed close contactwith industry and has undertaken innumerable cooperativeresearch and development projects over the years. The aim of furtherintensifying these contacts and placing them on a professionalfooting is central to Empa’s Business Development activities.

Business Development

Empa at the “Swiss Innovation Forum” in Basel presented theprotective suit developed by the institution for the pilots of“Solar Impulse”.

In order to regulate collaborative work with

industry in a uniform way, Empa has defined

new forms of cooperation and a clear frame-

work of general conditions and price model.

One focal point was the expansion of partner-

ships with key national and international

commercial organizations in sectors of indus-

try which are of strategic interest to Empa. In

order to meet the varied needs of its econom-

ic partners, the institution has developed a

range of new cooperative models.

Old partnerships reinforced,new ones establishedThe long-term research partnership with Syn-

thes, the Swiss-US medical technology compa-

ny, has been strengthened by several addition-

al multidisciplinary projects.

Similarly, a strategic research and develop-

ment partnership with Hexis AG, a company

based in Winterthur, has been agreed, with

the aim of commercially establishing solid ox-

ide fuel cells (SOFCs) as a sustainable alterna-

tive for total-energy delivery to buildings.

In May a new position of Liaison Officer was

created and filled at Empa for this purpose. In

addition, an agreement with the technology

giant IBM has been signed with Empa as jun-

ior partner in the new “Nanoscale Exploratory

Technology Laboratory” (NETL), which is be-

ing established together with the ETH Zurich

in Rueschlikon.

Networking in economic andtechnology forumsTo make Empa significantly more visible,

tangible and easy to contact for potential in-

dustrial and economic partners, its staff par-

ticipate in a range of economic and techno-

logical forums, such as the “Swiss Economic

Forum” in Interlaken (together with the ETH

Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute) and

Piopipüi

50 | 51

work with project partners.

Contact

Gabriele Dobeneckergabriele.dobenecker@empa.ch

Empa-Director Gian-Luca Bona (to the right of Doris Leuthard) attended the 3rd InnovationsConference on Cleantech at the invitation of the Federal Councilor. (Keystone)

Political decision makers also like to visit Empa to be informed and kept up to date.The entire government of Canton St Gall visited the Empa site in the city and got acomprehensive insight into its research activities.

the “Swiss Innovation Forum” in Basel. At

these events Empa presented (among other

developments) the humidity and tempera-

ture regulating protective suit which Empa,

together with industrial partners, developed

for the pilots of Solar Impulse. In addition,

the institution participated in the “Europa

Forum Luzern” together with IBM and yet

again the ETH Zurich. Empa representatives

were also present at the 3rd Innovations

Conference on Cleantech in Bern, organized

at the behest of Federal Councilor Doris

Leuthard. Above and beyond these activi-

ties, numerous commercial organizations

and economic associations visit Empa every

year in order to experience firsthand how

they can profit from working with the insti-

tution.

Achieving closer links to industrial partners

and an enhanced direct technology transfer

process are among the aims of the newly

constituted Industry Commission, which is

predominantly made up of representatives

drawn from industry, and advises Empa in

these matters.

Advanced training – a building blockfor successful partnershipsIn addition to outwardly oriented activities,

the further training of staff was also a topic

of interest, covering on the one hand com-

mercialization through technology transfer

(in particular finding potential applications

for research results), and questions con-

cerning estimation of the potential and costs

of possible applications as well as their clas-

sification. In addition an event on “Integrity

in Research” was held, which discussed im-

portant questions concerning collaborative

Empa as a global player

Research, development, new technologies, innovations – all “goods” ina globalized market. To keep pace with this trend Empa is continuouslyexpanding its international network of partners and clients. By means ofstrategic partnerships with renowned institutions and enterprises, forexample in Middle and Eastern Europe, in Japan and the USA, Empa istaking on global challenges such as a sustainable energy supply anddwindling natural resources. Likewise, Empa is stepping up efforts to

International Cooperative Projects

attract the most talented young researchers.

Environmental pollution, climate change,

diminishing oil and raw material reserves –

global challenges like these can only be

solved through international cooperation.

To encourage this, Empa, on behalf of the

ETH Domain (and other Swiss R&D institu-

tions) and in collaboration with the Warsaw

University of Technology (WUT), organized

the Swiss-Polish Science & Technology Days

2010 in Warsaw. The first networking event

of its kind, the Sci-Tec Days, offered a plat-

form for exchanging ideas to all the research

institutions in both countries in the fields of

nanotechnology, energy, environment and

health, as well as information and commu-

nication technologies.

Reaching out to Eastern Europein Empa style In putting together the event Empa relied on

the network established by the “PhD Pro-

gram Switzerland–Poland” (a collaborative

effort involving several Polish universities),

as well as on the experience gained during

earlier “Swiss-Polish Cohesion Dialogue”

events. Some 250 scientists submitted about

the same number of Joint Research Propos-

als, which are being evaluated in the course

of the first quarter of 2011. About 30 of these

proposals were initiated by Empa re-

searchers. Proposals for similar Joint Re-

search Projects with scientists from the oth-

er new member states (NMS) of the EU are

being prepared in the framework of the

Swiss contribution for Middle and Eastern

Europe (the so-called Cohesion Funds).

From Japan to the Persian GulfIn collaboration with WUT and with the Na-

tional Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)

of Japan, the 3rd Empa-WUT-NIMS-Work-

shop took place at the Empa Academy in

Duebendorf. Staged as a “Science Speed Dat-

ing”, the 65 participants discussed some 30

project ideas focusing on, amongst other

things, an increased exchange between re-

searchers of the various institutions. Such ex-

changes already take place between Empa

and its “sister institution”, NIMS: in

2008/2009 an Empa nanoscientist spent a

three-month sabbatical at NIMS, and in 2010

a NIMS Office was established at Empa.

NIMS was also – in addition to the Karlsruhe

Institute of Technology (KIT) – a partner at

the Empa-NIMS-KIT-Workshop on Energy

and Environmental Technologies, which took

place in Karlsruhe in January 2011. And in

February, the First Middle East Conference on

Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabili-

tation of Civil Structures (SMAR 2011) was

held in the Emirate of Dubai. The collabora-

tive event was organized jointly by Empa and

the American University in Dubai (AUD).

In organizational terms these kind of strate-

gic collaborations are the responsibility of

the newly formed International Research

Cooperation Unit at Empa. Talks are current-

ly underway with the Kuwait Institute for

Scientific Research (KISR), the Fraunhofer

Institute in Wuerzburg, the Max Planck In-

stitute for Polymer Research in Mainz, the

Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Vi-

enna, and the Los Alamos National Labora-

tory (LANL) in the USA. In addition, Empa

is also working to extend and deepen its in-

ternational collaborations with industrial

partners such as Alstom, Toyota and IBM –

to name just the most significant ones.

Piopipüi

52 | 53

Contact

Prof. Dr Gian-Luca Bonagian-luca.bona@empa.ch

Dubai, home to the world’s highest building, the BurjKhalifa, also hosted the first international conference on“smart” monitoring and renovation of buildings.“SMAR 2011” was jointly organized by Empa and theAmerican University in Dubai (AUD).

In Warsaw Empa organized, together with WUT, the“Swiss-Polish Science & Technology Days 2010”,the first networking event for all research institutionsin both countries.

The 3rd Empa-WUT-NIMS-Workshop was held this timeat the Empa Academy in Duebendorf, a collaborativeevent with the Warsaw University of Technology (WUT)and the Japanese National Institute forMaterials Science (NIMS) on novel nanomaterials.

PhD students and professorsTo be successful research relies on a steady

influx of new ideas; therefore, Empa has re-

inforced its efforts to “lure” talented (young)

scientists to Switzerland. One such avenue

is the the Sciex scholarship program (“Sci-

entific Exchange Program NMS–CH”) which

supports PhD students from Middle and

Eastern Europe. Another route of attracting

talent is through the numerous Empa scien-

tists holding professorships at universities

abroad such as the KTH Royal Institute of

Technology in Stockholm, WUT in Warsaw,

the Free University in Amsterdam, and (in

Germany) the University of Freiburg, the

Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg

and the Technical University of Munich.

Last but not least, Empa has launched a new

post-doc program for some 50 outstanding

candidates which will be financed by CO-

FUND within the EU’s Marie Curie Program.

Empa Academy

The Empa Academy caters for the industry

This year once again the Empa Academy offered a rich and varied pro-gram, including 33 expert events, 12 scientific conferences and as manyscientific courses. Some 3000 odd persons drawn from economic andscientific circles, professional associations and authorities participated inthese events, exchanging the newest results and discussing the latestinformation in their respective fields.

That superlative of electrical cars, the Tesla Roadster, was there to be test driven at the “Tage der Technik –Quo vadis, Automobil?” held at the Empa Academy.

A total of 440 specialists responded to their in-

vitations and took part in the three Technology

Briefings held in 2010. The theme of the first

was “new results in the responsible, ecological

and safe handling of nanomaterials in varnish-

es and paints”. Thanks to nanoparticles mod-

ern varnishes are significantly easier to han-

dle, have a longer shelf life and no longer need

to contain problematic biocides. The chal-

lenge is to exploit the advantages offered by

these new materials without ignoring the pos-

sible risks involved. The central part of the

country-wide “Days of Technology” range of

events organized by Empa was concerned

with the future of the automobile, in particular

with topics such as E-mobility and gas-fuelled

hybrid vehicles. Some examples of electric

cars were available for visitors to test drive. A

further briefing promised new ideas on the

theme “Function Follows Materials”, follow-

ing up the opportunities presented by a new

mechanics that arms novel components with

specific functions.

From old comes new: fitting a ready-made buildingfaçade module to an old building during renovationin which floors are being added. This was one of thetopics of the expert meeting on sustainability in theconstruction industry which Empa organized incollaboration with SUSPI – the University of AppliedSciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland.

Piopipüi

0655

Another area of interest: textiles andthe construction industryThe Empa Academy also hosted the fifth

“Innovation Day” of the Swiss Textile Feder-

ation (TVS). Two hundred and fifty experts

immersed themselves in many new ideas

based around the theme “textile exceeds its

boundaries”, which were discussed during

networking sessions in the breaks between

presentations. Topics included “smart” tex-

tiles with electronic functionalities, or func-

tional wear and clothing systems. Empa’s

researchers presented the newest develop-

ments in the field of electrically and optical-

ly conductive fibers. The aim is to create

metalized fibers which can be used to make

“e-textiles”, or luminous textiles for photo-

dynamic therapy. The innovations on show

at the exhibition accompanying the event at-

tracted considerable interest.

The specialist events which the Empa Acad-

emy organizes every three years at SUSPI

(the University of Applied Sciences and Arts

of Southern Switzerland) in Lugano are al-

ready having the status of a tradition.

“Whether old or new – environmental

friendliness is key” was the title of the most

recent one-day event. Empa and SUPSI have

the same aim with regard to sustainable

construction: using modern materials, tech-

nologies and systems to renovate Switzer-

land’s stock of buildings to a state-of-the-art

level of energy efficiency. Whilst Empa pres-

ents its newest developments in the field of

sustainable building technologies and inno-

vative materials, and at the same time ex-

pands its contacts list of potential partners

and clients, SUSPI offers its services as a re-

gional partner for construction companies,

planners and managers.

TS“Aonrebw

01 |54 |

Improved educational offeringsIn order to make its further education and

training courses yet more attractive and inter-

esting to those attending them, Empa is

working increasingly with other providers in

the field. In 2010 the first two specialist cours-

es on “Polymer Materials for Technical Appli-

cations” and “Carbon Nanotubes” were host-

ed at Empa in collaborations with the “Swiss

Foundation for Research in Microtechnolo-

gy” (FSRM), with each event attracting over

a score of participants. For 2011 courses on

“Nanoanalytics”, Aluminium Alloys” and

“Corrosion” are in preparation. A similar co-

operation with the Haus der Technik in Es-

sen, Germany, has already proven its worth.

The seminar on “Titanium Applications”,

which was held for the fifth time in 2010, at-

tracted 16 participants drawn from both

Swiss and international companies. Here

also, further collaborative professional cours-

es are being planned.

Contact

Dr Anne Satiranne.satir@empa.ch

he exhibition accompanying thewiss Textile Federation’s (TVS)Innovation Day” held at the Empacademy offered an excellentpportunity for networking. Theewly developed army socks, thesult of a collaborative projectetween armasuisse and Empa,ere the subject of intense interest.

Science and innovation – topicswith great public appeal

Those who conduct research partly or entirely supported by publicfunds should ensure that they keep politicians and fellow citizens –their financial backers – well informed of the necessity and goals oftheir work and its expected uses. Exaggerated promises are outof place in this context; what’s needed are practically oriented tech-nologies and a realistic estimation of their potential contributionto solving urgent global challenges such as sustainable energy andenvironmental pollution. In fulfilling this task, Empa is increasinglyengaging in direct dialog with regulatory authorities and the public.

Science in Dialog

At the e-Scooter test day held at the Empa in St Gall,City Councilor Fredy Brunner (left), together with Empa boardmember Harald Krug, inaugurates the first e-charging stationin the city powered by solar cells alone.

“Can nanoparticles pass through the human

placenta, and if so what are the effects?”; “How

can we build earthquake-proof buildings?”;

"How does functional sports gear help the

body to attain optimal performance when jog-

ging, skiing or playing football?” – questions

like these are discussed and debated at special

events such as, for example, the series of Sci-

ence Apéros organized by the Empa Academy.

In St Gall the institution invited the public

to spend a day testing e-Scooters while

learning the latest on electromobility. At the

same time the first public e-charging station

in the city of St Gall powered exclusively by

solar cells was inaugurated. An important

point, though – life cycle analyses by Empa

researchers have recently shown that the

origin of the electricity is decisive in deter-

mining the environmental “footprint” of

this means of transport, highly praised as

“green” from all sides.

Empa researchers provide the answers…In 2010 energy was the topic in the public eye.

One example being the mobile exhibit “Ener-

gy Contact”, an idea conceived by Empa to-

gether with the electrical power utility Re-

power, that deals with all aspects of sustain-

able energy. Housed in two “info containers”,

it tours the country since last December. In a

similar vein, Empa experts spoke on “Elec-

tricity from above”, i.e. on solar power gen-

erated by photovoltaic devices, at “Science

City”, a series of popular-science events or-

ganized by the ETH Zurich. And finally,

members of parliament and politicians from

the Social Democrat Party visited Empa in

Thun to learn first-hand all about the insti-

tute’s latest Cleantech activities.

Piopipüi

56 | 57

View into one of the info containers of the mobile exhibit “Energy Contact”,a project conceived by Empa together with the electrical power utility Repower.

During a party offside parliamentarians and politicians from the Social Democrat Partyvisited Empa in Thun, where they were brought up to date on the institute’s latestCleantech activities.

…and make innovative applicationspossibleOfficials from the Swiss Federal Office of Ener-

gy (SFOE), the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO)

and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs

(SECO) as well as the government of the Can-

ton (“state”) of St Gall and the former Swiss-

mem president and today’s Federal Councilor

Johann Schneider-Ammann also paid visits to

Empa. The guests were particularly impressed

by the numerous “interfaces between science

and applications”, as the “Regierungspräsi-

dent” (prime minister) of the Canton of St Gall,

Willi Haag, put it. Altogether more than 1500

visitors in some sixty guided tours had the op-

portunity to take a peek inside Empa’s labs

and facilities.

For those who couldn’t manage a visit, Empa

did its best to try and keep them well-in-

formed by means of the 1800-odd articles on

its research activities which appeared in the

national and international media, and

through other generally understandable chan-

nels of communication such as video podcasts

on the institute’s very own “EmpaTV”. Its con-

tributions reached about 90,000 viewers

through YouTube, iTunes and Empa’s home-

page – for a specialized channel disseminating

only material related to science and innova-

tion, a very respectable rating.

Contact

Dr Michael Hagmannmichael.hagmann@empa.ch

Facts & Figures

Facts and Figures

SCIENTIFIC OUTPUT

ISI publications

of which SCI publications

Conference contributions

Doctoral studies completed

Initial patent registrations

Licensing agreements

Spin-offs/Start-ups

Teaching activities (hours)

Empa Academy events

Prizes and awards

Scientific output / Know-how andtechnology transfer

During the past year Empa researchers have

worked on over 560 research projects, an in-

creasingly large proportion of which were

funded by third-party financing. The num-

ber of CTI supported projects, for example,

rose from 74 to 78, while SNSF supported

projects increased from 69 to 91. The num-

ber of EU funded projects remained practi-

cally constant at 52 (51 last year). In addi-

tion to these successes, Empa staff also pub-

lished an increased number of scientific

documents (from 472 to 505 ISI publica-

tions). A study carried out by the “Center for

2009 2010

472 505

399 406

1099 1036

34 33

20 8

12 18

3 2

3349 3269

103 85

30 30

Science and Technology Studies” of the Uni-

versity of Leyden has shown that, on a

worldwide basis, publications by Empa staff

enjoy an above-average citation level, with

the trend still moving upward. This is an im-

portant indication that the quality of the in-

stitution’s scientific output is continuing to

improve.

Contributions by Empa personnel at inter-

national scientific conferences remain at a

high level – out of a total of over 1000 con-

tributions, 374 were invited lectures, in ad-

dition to which the institution took on the

role of organizer or co-organizer at 77

events. Over the past year 160 doctoral stu-

dents have been working on their projects at

Empa, and during this time 33 Ph.D. stu-

dents completed their studies. Empa staff re-

ceived 30 prizes and awards in 2010.

On the other hand, the number of patent ap-

plications, Empa Academy events and the

teaching activities count all declined slight-

ly, though the reductions lay within the nor-

mally expected range of variation. To count-

er this, a marked increase in the number of

teaching assignments at the EPF Lausanne

(+145%) was seen, which is an indication

of the significantly enhanced level of net-

working collaboration with the top Swiss

universities.

60 | 61

0

50

100

150

300

200

250

400

350

450

Completed doctoDoctorates in progress (including studentsnot employed by Empa)

16

67

30

67

120132

27

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

191

9990

500

DEVELOPMENT IN NUMBERS

OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS AND

SCI/E PUBLICATIONS

Personnel

At the end of 2010 Empa employed 937 staff

(2009: 934). This is equivalent to 860 (868)

full-time positions, the difference being due to

the many personnel who work on a part-time

basis. Staff numbers therefore remained prac-

tically constant last year. As defined in the per-

sonnel strategy, the high proportion of scientif-

ic staff built up over the past few years has also

been maintained, at 513 (515). Twenty-four

SCI/SSCISCIE

rates Publications

1 275

153

2006

169

371

2007 2008

162

406

505

154

2009

472

2010

166

(22) Empa researchers also simultaneously

hold professorships at a university. In 2010,

33 Ph.D. dissertations were completed (34 in

2009), while at the end of the year the total

number of doctoral students was 111 (115).

There was a marked reduction in the number

of postdocs on the staff, from 75 to 61. The

number of undergraduate students who under-

took their final year project work at Empa was

109 (116), while the number of interns doing

practical work rose to 95 from 77. As a result

of the increasingly scientific orientation fol-

lowed by Empa, the number of fixed term con-

tracts for postdocs, doctoral students, under-

graduates and interns has continuously risen

over the past few years. This trend also stabi-

lized in 2010, the number of fixed term employ-

ees remaining practically constant at 457

against 459 for the previous year. The head-

count for technical and administrative staff, in-

cluding apprentices and interns, also remained

stable at 424 persons (428). The institution of-

fers a wide range of vocational training posi-

tions and current employs 39 (37) apprentices.

All the apprentices who sat their final exami-

nations in 2010 were successful. The propor-

tion of female employees rose slightly over the

year from 27.5% to 28%. Twenty-one middle

management positions were held by female

staff (20). The proportion of female Ph.D. stu-

dents rose from 29% to about 34%. On the oth-

er hand, the fraction of non-Swiss staff at Empa

sank to 340 (352), or about 36% (37%) of the

total. Of the non-Swiss staff, 262 (264) origi-

nated from EU countries.

Facts and Figures

STAFF as of 31.12.2010

CATEGORIES 2009 2010

Scientific staff 515 513

of which professors 22 24

of which doctoral students 115 111

of which sci. staff excl. profs. & Ph.D. students 378 378

Tech. / Admin. staff 428 424

of which apprentices 37 39

Total 943 937

Personnel managementIn the first half of the year an updated, mod-

ern staff policy was developed. The man-

agement training process, with its modular

basis, was implemented in full. The concept

of Empa’s leadership training process has

proven its worth and, in enhanced form,

will continue to define the institution’s

management development path over the

foreseeable future. Highlights in this respect

were the implementation of the Staff Policy

and the middle management event on the

topic of Technology Transfer and Commer-

cialization. For the second time since 2006,

Empa has conducted a personnel survey

and management assessment. The results

were extremely satisfying, with staff evalu-

ations being in general very positive. The

management assessments were also in the

main markedly better than those seen in the

first questionnaire.

Since last spring Empa has operated a trust-

based working time system. This offers em-

ployees a great deal of flexibility in defining

their own working hours, and employees

bear individual responsibility for personal

work planning and time allocation. Some

selected activities were partly or wholly un-

dertaken at external working places (so-

called teleworking). For the staff involved

this has the advantage of offering individual

responsibility for defining working time, al-

lowing better coordination of professional

and private activities while saving commut-

ing costs and travelling time.

Equal opportunities and diversityEqual opportunities and diversity are consid-

erations which are firmly anchored in Empa’s

personnel policy. During the management

training process these themes, in addition to

those involving personnel and team develop-

ment, are dealt with in particular detail. Focal

points in the areas of equal opportunities and

diversity were increasing flexibility in terms of

working time, encouraging the degree of ac-

ceptance of part-time working, the introduc-

tion of teleworking and the establishment of

a job sharing system at the laboratory head

level. Feedback from the personnel question-

naire indicated that the efforts made by the in-

stitution to improve equal opportunities and

diversity were positively received by the staff.

Both factors were included in the ten points

rated highest in terms of satisfaction by survey

respondents. As a result of the change of jobs,

on November 1st a new appointment was

made to the position of staff member respon-

sible for equal opportunities and intercultural

diversity.

Finances

Total revenues accrued in 2010 amounted to

CHF 146.2 million (2009: CHF 143.4 mil-

lion). The increase over last year is primari-

ly due to additional federal funding received

in 2009 for building projects which were al-

located within the framework of the Eco-

nomic Stabilization Measures (KSM). Due

to delays in the construction work these

funds were carried over into 2010.

The revenues for last year are broken down as

follows: CHF 96.9 million in federal funding

contributions (CHF 92.1 million in the previ-

ous year), income from third party funding,

services rendered and miscellaneous sources

of CHF 49.5 million (compared to CHF 50.8

million in 2009), and financial income of

CHF –0.2 million (CHF 0.5 million). Revenues

from services rendered fell by CHF 0.9 million

in 2010 to CHF 12.4 million. Included in the

federal funding contribution is financing for

construction works totaling CHF 7.5 million

(CHF 3.7 million) and income from project-

oriented fund allocations made by the ETH-

62 | 63

PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT (in millions of Swiss francs)

2009* 2010Revenue

Federal funding contribution 92.1 96.9

Third-party funding 36 36.6

Income from services rendered 13.3 12.4

Miscellaneous income 1.5 0.5

Financial income 0.5 –0.2

Total Revenues 143.4 146.2

Expenditure

Personnel costs 101.6 100.6

Materials 4.8 5.2

Operating expenses 34.0 40.7

Changes in performance bond –0.9 –2

Reserve increase for projects 2.6 1.3

Total Expenditure for current activities 142.1 145.8

Balance 1.3 0.4

Investment

Fixed assets 3.7 7.5

Movable assets 10.9 6.4

Information Technology 0.7 0.6

Total Investment 15.3 14.5

* The federal funding contribution encompasses all financial means madeavailable to Empa (including building projects). Due to changes in theregulations covering financial statements for the years 2009 and 2010,the previous year’s figures have been adjusted to improve comparability.

Domain Competence Centers amounting to a total of CHF 2 million

(CHF 1.7 million). Income from third party funding for R & D projects

was somewhat higher than in the previous year at CHF 36.6 million

compared to CHF 36 million.

Financial support from the Swiss National Science Funds (including

NCCR) rose by 25.7% in comparison to 2009, to CHF 6.5 million (CHF

5.2 million). Funding from the CTI was somewhat down over the past

year, dropping from CHF 7.8 million in 2009 to CHF 7.1 million in 2010.

Commercially oriented research contributions from private funding

sources registered a significant increase of 24% to CHF 10.7 million

(CHF 8.7 million in 2009). Funding contributions from EU research pro-

grams remained practically unchanged at CHF 6.5 million). However,

in comparison to the previous year, allocations from the departmental

research budget dropped by CHF 2 million to CHF 5.8 million, a de-

crease of 25.3%.The third party funding contribution of total CHF 49.5

million covered about 34% of total expenditure.

Total expenditure amounted to CHF 145.8 million (CHF 142.1 in

2009), and here also the difference is in greater part the result of

funding for Economic Stabilization Measures (KSM) projects. By far

the largest single item of disbursement was personnel costs, which

over the reporting year have fallen by CHF 1 million to CHF 100.6

million. Among other factors this decline is due to a slight reduction

in staff numbers and to the liquidation of reserves set aside for hol-

iday and overtime payments. Staff salaries rose across the board by

0.6% for inflation, with an additional 1.2% based on individual per-

formance. Of the remaining expenditure a sum of CHF 40.7 million

was used for running expenses and CHF 5.2 million was used to cov-

er the purchase of materials. Investments in buildings, apparatus

and equipment amounted to a total of CHF 14.5 million in 2010 com-

pared to CHF 15.3 million in 2009. Building investment costs totaled

CHF 7.5 million (CHF 3.7 million). Investment in moveable assets

decreased significantly from CHF 10.9 to 6.4 million during the year,

while that in Information Technology remained practically un-

changed over the year at CHF 0.6 million. The profit and loss ac-

count balance amounted to CHF 0.4 million (CHF –0.9 million).

Facts and Figures

Contact

Roland Knechtleroland.knechtle@empa.ch

Construction / Operations

The projects authorized within the framework

of the Economic Stabilization Measures, for

which CHF 7.8 million in additional funding

was made available, were completed. This

work primarily involved the renovation of

building shells and implementing energy sav-

ing measures. The planning for the “Energy

Site Empa/Eawag” project was further ad-

vanced. The aim is to gasifying waste wood,

the gas produced being used as fuel for a com-

bined heat and power generation plant. The

plan is to use the waste heat produced during

the process to heat the buildings on the site in

winter. In summer the waste heat will power

an absorption-refrigeration plant which will

supply a part of the cooling requirements of

the site. The directors of both Empa and

Eawag have decided that the wood gasifica-

tion plant, which is at the heart of the project,

will be constructed and operated by a private

contractor. The goal of the project, which is to

reduce by 2030 the total CO2 footprint of the

joint Empa/Eawag site by 70%, with respect

to the reference year 1990, is still being pur-

sued.

Other building construction projects under-

taken over the year served to enhance the re-

search infrastructure of the institution. The

two most prominent projects were the erection

of a testing plant for lightweight structural as-

semblies and a wind tunnel. The former offers

enhanced research and development opportu-

nities in the field of the acoustics of light-

weight constructions, above all in terms of

noise abatement in multi-storied wooden

structures. The wind tunnel will allow re-

searchers to make high resolution spatial and

temporal measurements of flow patterns

around buildings and built-up areas, and in-

vestigate the dispersion of pollutants in the air,

and raindrop and particle transport phenome-

na. Additional projects were also undertaken

as part of the optimization of land usage at the

Duebendorf site, with the intention of making

more space available for new professorial ap-

pointments and for premises for further spin-

off companies.

“Stratus”, a tool for overseeing the health of

Empa’s buildings, has been implemented dur-

ing the past year. It allows the current the

structural condition of buildings to be moni-

tored on a continuous basis and when prob-

lems are encountered, it indicates what reme-

dial steps need to be taken.

Environmental managementVarious measures to reduce the heating energy

usage at Empa’s Duebendorf and St Gall sites

were planned and implemented in 2010.

Both sites had their quality labels, which

recognize their status as a “Nature Park of

the Swiss Economy”, renewed. Empa’s en-

vironmental team was newly constituted at

the beginning of the report year, with team

members working to implement the meas-

ures defined by the institution’s directors,

the goals of RUMBA and the Federal Admin-

istration’s resources and environmental

management procedure. The basis of all

these activities is the environmental data

gathered annually by the ETH-Domain or-

ganizations and Empa’s Environmental Re-

port, which will continue to be produced bi-

ennially. A relevance analysis was per-

formed, in which all important activities un-

dertaken at Empa were investigated and as-

sessed in terms of their effects on the envi-

ronment. Once again it is the institution’s

electric power consumption which repre-

sents the greatest environmental factor, and

for this reason the emphasis will be laid on

measures to increase awareness of the need

to reduce power consumption.

64 | 65

Organs of Empa

ETH CouncilThe ETH Council has overall responsibility

for the management of the ETH Domain,

which incorporates the two Federal Insti-

tutes of Technology (ETHZ, EPFL) and the

four federal research institutes (PSI, WSL,

Eawag and Empa).

ChairmanFritz SchiesserDr iur., Haslen GL

Vice-ChairmanPaul L. HerrlingProf. Dr, Novartis, Basel

MembersPatrick AebischerProf. Dr, EPF LausanneRalph EichlerProf. Dr, ETH ZurichBarbara HaeringDr, Econcept AG, Zurich Hans HessDipl. Ing. ETH, Hamesco AG, Pfäffikon SZBeth KrasnaDipl. Ing. ETH, EPF LausanneThierry Lombardlic. rer. pol., Lombard Odier, GenevaJoël MesotProf. Dr, PSI, VillingenMarkus StauffacherDr, ETH Zurich

Advisory Commission A body of leading personalities which advis-

es the Empa management on fundamental

concerns.

ChairmanNorman BlankDr, Sika, Zurich

MembersKurt Baltensperger Dr, ETH-Rat, ZurichCrispino BergamaschiProf. Dr., FHNW, BruggPeter ChenProf. Dr, ETH ZurichAndreas HafnerDr, BASF, BaselRita HoffmannDr, Ilford, MarlyJan-Anders Manson Prof. Dr, EPF LausanneMarkus OldaniDr, ALSTOM, BadenAndreas SchreinerDr, Novartis, BaselEugen VoitDr, Leica Geosystems, HeerbruggRolf WohlgemuthDr, Siemens, Zug

Research CommissionThe 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 se-

lected Empa senior staff, it consists of the

following persons:

ChairmanErkki LeppävuoriProf. Dr, VTT, Finland

MembersDavid GraingerDr, University of Utah, USABengt Kasemo Prof. Dr, Chalmers University ofTechnology, SchwedenJaques Marchand Prof. Dr, Laval University, CanadaKlaus MüllenProf. Dr, MPI, GermanyClaudia Stürmer Prof. Dr, University of Constance, GermanyEberhard UmbachProf. Dr, KIT, GermanySukekatsu UshiodaProf. Dr, NIMS, JapanAlex DommannDr, CSEM, ZurichThomas Egli Prof. Dr, Eawag, DübendorfKarl Knop Dr, ZurichDimos PoulikakosProf. Dr, ETH ZurichViola VogelProf. Dr, ETH ZurichAlexander WokaunProf. Dr, PSI, Villigen

tebo – Technology Center in St.Gallen Peter Frischknecht

glaTec – Technology Center in DübendorfMario Jenni

Facts and Figures

Knowledge and Technology Transfer

Director general Deputy Prof. Dr Gian-Luca Bona Dr Peter Hofer

Mechanical Systems Engineering Dr Giovanni Terrasi

Mechanics for Modelling and Simulation Prof. Dr Edoardo Mazza

Structural Engineering Prof. Dr Masoud Motavalli

Road Engineering/Sealing Components Prof. Dr Manfred Partl

Wood Dr René Steiger a. i.

Building Science and Technology Prof. Dr Jan Carmeliet

Concrete/Construction Chemistry Dr Pietro Lura

Center for Synergetic Structures Dr Rolf Luchsinger (ppp Empa – Festo)

High Performance Ceramics Prof. Dr Thomas Graule

Electron Microscopy Center Dr Rolf Erni

Functional Polymers Dr Frank Nüesch

Thin Films and Photovoltaics Prof. Dr Ayodhya N. Tiwari

nanotech@surfaces Prof. Dr Roman Fasel

Nanoscale Materials Science Prof. Dr Hans Josef Hug

Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures Dr Johann Michler

Advanced Materials Processing Prof. Dr Patrik Hoffmann

Joining and Interface Technology Dr Manfred Roth

Corrosion and Materials Integrity Dr Patrik Schmutz a.i.

Advanced Materials and Surfaces Dr Pierangelo Gröning

Civil and Mechanical EngineeringDr Peter Richner

Materials meet LifeProf. Dr Harald Krug

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

DEPARTMENTS

Research Focus Areas

Nanostructured MaterialsDr Pierangelo Gröning

Protection and Physiology Dr René Rossi

Advanced Fibers Prof. Dr Manfred Heuberger

Materials-Biology Interactions Dr Katharina Maniura /Dr Peter Wick

Biomaterials Dr Dr h.c. Linda Thöny-Meyer

LABORATORIES

LABORATORIES LABORATORIES

Organizational Chartportal@empa.chPhone +41 58 765 44 44www.empa.ch/portal

66 | 67

Reliability NetworkDr Urs Sennhauser

International Research CooperationsProf. Dr Gian-Luca Bona

Sustainable Built EnvironmentDr Peter Richner

Materials for Health and PerformanceProf. Dr Harald Krug

Natural Resources and PollutantsDr Peter Hofer

Materials for Energy TechnologiesDr Xaver Edelmann

Technology and Society Prof. Dr Lorenz Hilty

Media Technology Prof. Dr Klaus Simon

Electronics/Metrology/Reliability Dr Urs Sennhauser

Acoustics/Noise Control Kurt Eggenschwiler

Internal Combustion Engines Christian Bach

Air Pollution/Environmental Technology Dr Brigitte Buchmann

Analytical Chemistry Dr Heinz Vonmont 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

Marketing, Knowledge and Technology Transfer Gabriele Dobenecker

Solid State Chemistry and Catalysis Prof. Dr Anke Weidenkaff

Hydrogen and Energy Prof. Dr Andreas Züttel

Information, Reliability andSimulation TechnologyDr Xaver Edelmann

Mobility, Energy and EnvironmentDr Peter Hofer

SupportRoland Knechtle

LABORATORIES LABORATORIES

SECTIONS

Empa Academy Dr Anne Satir

Library (Lib4RI) Dr Lothar Nunnenmacher

ISSN 1424-2176 Annual Report Empa© Empa 2011

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 neutralSC2011052401

4ForewordEmpa’s Strength: Interdisciplinary Results and Solutions

6Research Focus Areas

8 Nanostructured Materials10Sustainable Built Environment12Natural Resources and Pollutants14Materials for Energy Technologies16Materials for Health andPerformance

Previous Annual Reports and further

documentation are available directly from:

Empa

Communication

Überlandstrasse 129

CH-8600 Dübendorf

redaktion@empa.ch

Content

Empa

CH-8600 DübendorfÜberlandstrasse 129

Phone +41 58 765 11 11Fax +41 58 765 11 22

CH-9014 St.GallenLerchenfeldstrasse 5

Phone +41 58 765 74 74Fax +41 58 765 74 99

CH-3602 ThunFeuerwerkerstrasse 39

Phone +41 33 228 46 26Fax +41 33 228 44 90

www.empa.ch

Annual Report 2010