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How is a wafer-thin film created? Why is the correct preparation so important? And how can the quality of a coating be tested? These and many other questions were investigated by 22 curious schoolchildren during this year’s Future Day at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST. In collaboration with the neighboring Fraunhofer WKI, the institute opened its doors to provide the young guests with an exciting insight into the world of research and technology.

New regulations require battery manufacturers to use a minimum proportion of recycled materials, as well as to provide proof of the origin of raw materials and the carbon footprint of battery cells. In particular, this concerns critical raw materials for battery cell production, such as nickel, lithium and cobalt. In addition, companies face the challenge of creating transparency in their supply chains and collecting information from suppliers for the purpose of verification. In order to meet these requirements, information is needed about the value-added routes and quality of cathode active materials, which are synthesised from raw materials of different origins. This is precisely where the project ‘Sustainable and Transparent Battery Materials Value Chains for a Circular Battery Economy’ (SUSTRAB), coordinated by TU Braunschweig, comes in.

Hydrogen is a key factor of the energy transition and plays a crucial role in reducing CO₂ emissions in industry and mobility. Especially in regions with energy-intensive production, such as Salzgitter, hydrogen offers the opportunity to establish sustainable and climate-friendly value chains. The Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter is the result of a broad alliance of stakeholders from the city, region, politics, business and science. Together, the partners are pursuing the goal of realizing hydrogen technologies along the entire value chain – from production to use – while taking economic and ecological aspects into account.

The Open Hybrid LabFactory (OHLF) in Wolfsburg has reached a significant milestone: In early March, the research campus, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), entered its third funding phase. At OHLF, Volkswagen, Braunschweig University of Technology, the Fraunhofer Society, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, and 35 other partners pool their expertise under one roof. This unique collaboration fosters the development of innovative projects aimed at establishing practical and efficient solutions for a sustainable circular economy in the automotive industry. The focus is on advancing new technologies that conserve resources, optimize recycling processes, and improve material reuse.

On the occasion of the "Tag der Raumfahrt" (engl. German Space Day) on March 28, 2025, we will take an exclusive look at innovations, groundbreaking technologies and exciting developments in the space industry in the next round of the online dialog format “TransferTalk”.

RNA-based medicines and treatment methods open up a new dimension in modern medicine. Despite their potential, RNA-based therapies are faced with major challenges: The instability of RNA and its rapid degradation in the body, combined with the necessity of ultra-cold storage or encapsulation, mean that innovative technological solutions are required in order to ensure efficacy and safety. This is where the Research Training Group “RNApp” comes in, with a total of twelve doctoral projects - among them the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST will receive around 2.5 million euros from the Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (Lower Saxony ministry for science and culture) for research work at the Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter. On 3rd February 2025, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, personally handed over the funding notification at the Salzgitter location.

Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells made of stable materials and manufactured using scalable production processes are the prerequisite for the next technological leap in the photovoltaic industry. Over the past five years, six Fraunhofer Institutes combined their expertise in the Fraunhofer lighthouse project "MaNiTU" to identify the most sustainable paths for the market launch of such tandem solar cells. They were able to show for one that high cell efficiencies can be achieved using industry-oriented processes, however, that such high efficiencies were only currently achievable with lead perovskite materials. Based on these findings, the researchers developed suitable recycling concepts to ensure sustainability.

The cabinet of the state government of Lower Saxony has instituted the ninth government commission “Circular Economy”. The focus of the new commission is directed at the further development of the classic recycling economy towards a circular economy in order to confront the challenges of climate protection and resource conservation. Prof. Stephan Krinke, Head of Department for “Sustainability Management and Life Cycle Engineering” at the Fraunhofer IST, has been appointed as a member of this commission, in which he will represent the Fraunhofer Institute and the TU Braunschweig.

As versatile as possible, consistently precise and reproducible but, at the same time, increasingly complex: The requirements for future coating and production systems are constantly increasing. The Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and Feng Chia University (FCU) are collaborating on the “Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Surface and Production Engineering for Optical and Electrical Systems at Feng Chia University FIP-SPE@FCU” to fulfill this demand. The aim of the cooperation is the development of cross-sectoral technological solutions in the field of surface and production engineering, whereby the focus is being placed on optical and electrical systems. The official opening of FIP-SPE@FCU took place on 28th October 2024 in Taiwan.

Vote for the project you care about by October 31: How can health insurance billing be automated? How can agri-photovoltaics be used in three ways? How can health care be ensured even in the most remote areas of Africa? These are the questions to which the three projects nominated for the “TECHNOLOGY4DEVELOPMENT” alumni award provide answers. One of these projects is “PreCare - Health Care for Everyone and Everywhere”, in which the Fraunhofer IST and the Fraunhofer ISE, together with Stellenbosch University, have developed a mobile system for health care in remote rural areas of Africa.

Plastic waste, harmful to the environment, has been increasing continually in Germany in recent years. Packaging generates particularly high volumes of waste. Plant-based coatings for paper packaging could provide a sustainable alternative in the future. In the BioPlas4Paper project, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and project partners have used a coating process known as plasma polymerization to create water-repellent and plant-based barrier coatings on paper, thereby im-proving the paper’s resistance to the effects of the weather.

Already for the second time, the Photonica Summer School inspired twenty young international scientists. They spent a week gaining an insight into five Fraunhofer Institutes and their research in the field of photonics, traveling from Braunschweig to Berlin via Jena and Dresden. Fraunhofer Photonica was organized by the Fraunhofer Group for Light & Surfaces under the direction of Fraunhofer IPM.

More charging power, higher range, lower environmental impact: In the COOLBat joint research project, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU have teamed up with partners to develop next-generation battery enclosures for electric vehicles. The objective is to make the enclosures, a central component in any electric vehicle, lighter and cut the carbon dioxide emitted to manufacture them by 15 percent. The project partners aim to achieve this by combining individual systems, packing more functions into a smaller installation space, and using new heat-conductive materials and bio-based flame retardant coatings.

On behalf of the Canadian Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), the President of the European-Canadian Centre for Innovation and Research, Dr Britta Baron, visited TU Braunschweig at the beginning of August. The aim of her visit was to discuss the possibility of cooperation between the two universities in the field of wind and hydrogen economy.

Within the framework of his summer tour, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, visited the Fraunhofer institutes for Wood Research, Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI and for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig on the 8th of July 2024.

Hydrogen generated with the power of the sun could largely replace fossil fuels in the future, helping to lower carbon emissions. In the Neo-PEC joint research project, Fraunhofer specialists have developed a tandem module that is self-sufficient and reliable at producing solar-generated green hydrogen.

Since May 2024, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST has been a member of REWIMET e.V., the recycling cluster for economically strategic metals. Within the framework of the new membership, the Fraunhofer IST will contribute not only its extensive expertise in the field of surface and coating technology but also its competencies in the area of sustainable energy storage and systems. The aim is to develop innovative solutions for the recycling and recovery of valuable metals whilst simultaneously improving the efficiency and sustainability of energy storage systems.

Zukunftgeber is an accolade awarded by Braunschweig's regional Employers' Association (Arbeitgeberverband - AGV) to outstandingly attractive employers in the Braunschweig-Wolfsburg region. Our institute has been bearing the seal for two years and has now been recertified.

The new “Zukunftslabor Circular Economy“ (Future Lab Circular Economy) will conduct research into innovative, digital solutions for the sustainable and efficient utilization of natural resources. For this purpose, it will receive 3.7 million euros from the Niedersächsisches Wissenschaftsministerium (Lower Saxony ministry for science and culture) and the Volkswagen Foundation for a project duration of five years.

Integrative Nanotech, a dynamic spin-off from the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, has joined forces with its parent institution to revolutionize hydrogen leak detection. This strategic partnership will significantly accelerate the development of next-generation hydrogen leak detection systems and prove their production methods on industrial-scale production systems. The collaboration aims to propel the hydrogen-powered transportation sector into a safer and more efficient future.

Together with the Open Hybrid LabFactory, the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft as scientific partners, Technische Universität Braunschweig will develop a joint Campus Wolfsburg. The Campus is to become a regional and international flagship location in the automotive circular economy – with strong research expertise as well as study, further education and transfer programmes. The corresponding funding decision was presented at the international “Circularity Days” conference in Wolfsburg on 15 May 2024.

Within the framework of this year’s conference of the Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC TechCon 2024), the two long-standing employees of the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, Dr. Ralf Bandorf and Dr. Volker Sittinger, were honored with the “Distinguished Presenter Award”, which was conferred for the very first time. The award honors individuals who have enriched the SVC technical program through sustainable contributions towards the advancement of vacuum coating, surface engineering and related technologies.

How can small and medium-sized companies efficiently develop and implement a sustainability strategy? What opportunities, challenges and risks are associated with this? Our experts will answer these and other questions in the next round of the online dialog format "TransferTalk" on 13 May 2024.

The measurement of pressure and temperature plays a crucial role in various technical applications from rolling bearings to gears and seals. In particular, there have been no solutions to date for measurements under mixed friction, i. e. the simultaneous occurrence of liquid and solid friction. At the Hannover Messe from April 22 – 26, 2024, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST will be presenting a newly developed thin-film multi-sensor that enables pressure and temperature measurements even under mixed friction and high loads.

The economical and ecological manufacturing of components using injection molding requires a high level of process reliability. This requires precise recording and monitoring of relevant parameters such as temperature and pressure curves. At Hannover Messe from April 22 – 26, 2024, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST will be presenting real-time data acquisition directly during the running process using integrated and wear-resistant thin-film sensors. The special feature here is that the tribologically resistant multifunctional sensor systems are deposited directly on the tool surface, enabling measurement in the main load zones.

The topics of sustainability and climate neutrality are becoming increasingly important in today's business world. In the wake of climate change and the growing awareness of our planet's limited resources, it is of great importance for companies to make their activities sustainable and minimize their environmental footprint. The demand for skilled professionals with expertise in sustainability and life cycle assessment (LCA), capable of effectively applying their knowledge within their respective companies, is constantly increasing, especially in areas such as purchasing or sales.

Prof. Dr. Stephan Krinke, Head of Sustainability Management and Life Cycle Engineering at the Fraunhofer IST, was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Association for European Sustainability and Eco-Management Professionals, VNU e. V. in December 2023. The Association is an independent collective that brings together industry, science and certification bodies and supports the practical implementation of sustainability and environmental management in companies. Furthermore, the VNU networks the stakeholders through conferences and regional meetings and helps to enable the implementation of the latest developments from science and standardization into practice.

No clean water, no functioning electricity grid, no primary healthcare – a scenario that is not uncommon in remote areas of the sub-Saharan region. The founding of “S Mile Solutions (Pty) Ltd”, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, is seeking to change this. The start-up, based in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, provides smart, small-scale and off-grid infrastructure solutions that are mounted on commercially available pick-up trucks, thereby enabling companies and institutions to access rural and remote communities with their services and products.

In the joint project “BALU - Production technology for battery cell concepts on the basis of aluminum-ion technology”, a consortium of research institutions and specialized industrial companies is further developing the aluminum-graphite dual-ion battery (AGDIB). As a result of its high power density, AGDIB technology has tremendous potential in the area of highly dynamic load requirements and could be an alternative to cost- and material-intensive lithium batteries. The project is pursuing the ambitious goal of transferring the production of AGDIB cells from laboratory scale to industry-compatible production conditions. In addition to the transfer of the new battery technology, explicit ecological considerations – such as environmentally friendly production, subsequent recycling, and the avoidance of critical raw materials – hereby play an important role. The BALU project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the framework of the “Batterie2020Transfer” program.