Hydrogels are gelatinous substances with several biomedical applications, including cartilage repair, implants for minimally invasive surgery and drug delivery. Most hydrogels are weak, brittle, and of low mechanical strength. They also exhibit limited extensibility, recoverability, and poor toughness. On the other hand, double-network hydrogels exhibit high mechanical strength, excellent recoverable properties, and a unique, free-shapeable… »
Student team at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) presented the world’s first solar-powered family car. This is the first ‘energy-positive car’ with room for four people, a trunk, intuitive steering, and a range of 600 kilometers (372 miles). Named ‘Stella’ after the Latin word for “star”, the car is user friendly and comfortable, and… »
When you hear someone talking about solar panels, you imagine the black or bluish-gray colored panels. However, various groups of researchers are contributing to changes which help designers and architects in their goal for aesthetics. With the help of thin-film technologies, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute managed to contribute to this cause by turning solar… »
Octopods, such as octopuses and squids, are considered to be the most intelligent invertebrates. Their ability to flee fast when in danger by swimming head first inspired researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute to develop a silent propulsion system for boats and water sport devices. The system can be produced at a low cost and in… »
Collaboration between engineers at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Marburg in Germany resulted in the development of a new method for the desalination of seawater. In comparison with conventional techniques, the new method is significantly simpler and requires less energy. Energy consumption is so little that it can work with… »
Although chicken-egg production presents a reliable method for vaccine production, in a global pandemic emergency, it takes too long and does not yield enough vaccine. A team of Fraunhofer Institute researchers from the USA has built up a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliant plant factory which relies on molecular farming. Molecular farming is an easy,… »
A team of chemists at the Cornell University developed a polymer that could be used to detect a chemical that’s often the key ingredient in improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The polymer, which could find its use in low-cost, handheld explosive detectors and could be used to replace bomb-sniffing dogs, can be quickly and safely detected… »
Researchers at the University of Zurich have devised and successfully tested the first potential anticancer drug which has excellent properties as a photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent as well as potential anti-metastatic activities in vivo. Namely, this new agent destroys melanoma skin cancer cells and blocks the spread of the cancer to other sites in the… »
