Reference projects of the Fraunhofer IST

Solid-state batteries are a promising concept for the further development of conventional lithium-ion batteries. By using solid electrolytes instead of liquid electrolytes, there is the potential for solid-state batteries to offer higher storage capacities, shorter charging times and greater safety in the long term. The FestBatt competence cluster works in an interdisciplinary manner on the production, optimization, processing and upscaling of materials for the new generation batteries.

In the SE.MA.KI project, a fully coordinated production system with standardized interfaces is being planned that allows a modular structure and an exchange of technologies depending on the particular application. In this blog post, Dr. Torben Seemann provides an insight into the project.

The goal of the ZESS as a Fraunhofer Project Center is to bring next-generation mobile and stationary energy storage systems to industrial maturity. In the field of mobile lithium solid-state batteries, ZESS will be developed into a unique national competence center that utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to develop innovative solutions for the entire value chain. Through its participation, Fraunhofer IST supports the further development of energy storage technologies.

Die Transformation zur Elektromobilität gilt als wichtiger Baustein zum Erreichen einer klimaneutralen Mobilität bis spätestens 2050. Für Elektrofahrzeuge ist die Karosserie nach der Batterie der größte Faktor für CO2-Emissionen. Das Konsortium des Leitprojektes »FutureCarProduction« entwickelt daher ganzheitliche Lösungsansätze für die Bewertung neuer Karosseriekonzepte der Automobilindustrie.

Due to the current resource- and environmentally-intensive battery production, there is a need for uniform and robust recycling and production systems as well as the use of secondary materials to close material cycles. The aim of the greenBatt competence cluster is to develop, design and apply innovative technologies, methods and tools for an energy- and material-efficient battery life cycle and closed material cycle.

How can economic, social and ecologically sustainable structural change be implemented in the former Helmstedt mining area? How can existing jobs be safeguarded in the region and new jobs created? What innovations are necessary if agricultural enterprises in the region are to be strengthened in the long term? In order to answer these questions and to not only reinforce local change in the areas of technology and services, resource efficiency and sustainable digital agriculture but to also increase value creation in the region, the Fraunhofer IST is working together with the Fraunhofer IKTS and in close cooperation with Wirtschaftsregion Helmstedt GmbH on the development and establishment of an innovation center for measures which promote the transfer of knowledge and technology

Integrating high-performance solar cells directly into the vehicle roof enables both charging of the battery when the vehicle is parked and significant relief of the on-board network whilst driving. Due to the limited surface area available, solar modules with the highest possible efficiency are required for this application. They must also be manufactured cost-effectively, as well as fulfil visual design and geometric shaping requirements.

In the evaluative research project HySecunda, nine Fraunhofer institutes are pooling their expertise and working on practice-oriented, scalable technological and capacitive solutions for a market ramp-up of green hydrogen in the entire SADC region (Southern African Development Community). The focus is thereby being directed at the three key areas of “Education and training”, “Certification and market for green hydrogen and market development” and “Technologies for fundamental research”.

The Salzgitter Hydrogen Campus is to be supported by the city, state, industry and research partners and intends to create and secure long-term added value and employment in the region. With this, long-term sustainable business models, market-ready products, an industrial hydrogen infrastructure, and a training platform for specialists and managers are to be developed and implemented.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer IST in Braunschweig have developed a process with which they can not only produce transparent, conductive – and consequently heatable – films. Their surface films also provide a further decisive advantage: The outer film is of low emissivity. It therefore ensures that the windshield cools down much more slowly. This prevents condensation from forming. The windshield remains dry and ice-free.

Forging tools are subjected to a complex load spectrum, which leads to increased wear and consequently to a decrease in component imprecision as well as a shorter service life of the forming tools. One possibility for reducing wear is (plasma) nitriding. Within the framework of this project, a fundamental understanding of the cause-effect relationships was obtained.

In cooperation with the Institute of Construction Design, Industrial and Health Care Building at the TU Braunschweig and the Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig (Braunschweig Municipal Hospital), a new application-oriented research and study laboratory in the form of a patient room of the future is being set up on the grounds of the hospital. The aim of the cooperation is the continuous development of practicable structural-technical sample solutions, innovative materials and surfaces as well as future-oriented products.

The common goal within the project is the development of a resource-saving platform strategy for the transfer of technology and knowledge from special research processes to medical-product manufacturing at SMEs. The platform strategy is intended to create an alternative for the production of clinical trial samples which takes into account the regulatory requirements for medical products and avoids duplicate structures.

In collaboration with the Institut für Integrierte Produktion Hannover gemeinnützige GmbH (IPH), the Fraunhofer IST has developed special sensor inserts in the form of a measuring funnel which can be directly integrated into the surface of the tool. This method enables existing machines and tools to be retrospectively upgraded and additionally offers the possibility of implementing improvements and further developments of the sensor technology through a simple exchange of the insert.

The project addresses the research and development of a coating technology for the deposition of optical precision coatings on spheres, aspheres and plano optics. Aspheres need to be coated with very broadband, low-loss, highly efficient anti-reflective coatings that act over a wide angular range. From a technological point of view, magnetron sputtering is used because it enables high-quality optical coatings.

Increasing the efficiency of low-cost solar cells is a central challenge within the context of the expansion of photovoltaics as a fundamental pillar of the energy transition. In the Fraunhofer lighthouse project “MaNiTU”, the Fraunhofer IST, in collaboration with five other Fraunhofer institutes, is developing materials for sustainable tandem solar cells with maximum conversion efficiency. On the basis of low-cost silicon solar cells, the focus is being placed on the development of next-generation perovskite silicon tandem solar cells. The goals are the achievement of significantly higher efficiencies and the establishment of industrially viable large-area coating systems and processes. In addition to the research into and application of coating processes, the main priorities of the Fraunhofer IST are the sustainability assessment of these processes and the optimization of energy and material flows.

The digitalization of production processes requires novel sensors for direct measurement in active zones. Through thin-film sensor technology, the necessary conditions for the realization of demand-oriented tool changes are to be created on the basis of the desired real-time wear indication. This will enable the minimization of the losses in material, energy and service life that currently result through the production of rejects.

The reduction of mechanical compressive stresses still remains a problem even today, particularly for the material most commonly used in optics: SiO2. The establishment of a coating process for the deposition of stress-free but simultaneously optically high-quality and dense SiO2 layers by means of hot-wire CVD was the aim of this research project.

Optical systems usually consist of several planar and curved components (lenses). Optical bandpass filters are often used to filter the light in a certain spectral range. Applications include LIDAR scanners. An optical system can be significantly simplified if these filters are applied directly to one of the lenses. In terms of coating technology, this is a major challenge.

Parabolic mirrors are used in space travel for a variety of applications, e.g. as antennas for space communications or as telescopes. Because they have to be extremely stable, they are usually built from solid, rigid materials such as glass or ceramics. This results in a high weight. An alternative was developed in the “OCULUS” project funded by DLR. Here, a parabolic mirror was built from CFRP, which was then metallized and subsequently polished. The result was a stable CFRP mirror which has an extremely smooth surface and which is many times lighter than conventional mirrors.