Press releases 2019

The recently launched KODOS project (“Konfektionierter Dünnglas-Verbund für optoelektronische Systeme”, Thin Glass Composites for Optoelectronic Systems), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is designed to transform thin glass into finished products along the entire value chain. The companies EMDE development of light, Volkswagen and Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau, which focus on application development, have joined forces with the technology suppliers tesa, VON ARDENNE, Flabeg, 4JET microtech, SURAGUS, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP. The aim of the consortium is to be able to offer a complete modular system of functional materials, semi-finished products, tools, and technologies for the roll-to-roll production of optoelectronic systems on thin glass.

Heat pumps play a decisive role in the energy transition: Sustainably generated electricity provides heat in winter and a good climate in summer. Nowadays, heat pumps work almost exclusively on the basis of compressor technology. Compressors require harmful refrigerants, the use of which will be restricted even more by law in the future. In the Fraunhofer ElKaWe lighthouse project, six Fraunhofer Institutes are developing highly efficient electrocaloric heat pumps, which do without harmful refrigerants.

Ultra-thin glass – one human hair thick – is ideally suited as a material for mass production of optical components and parts as well as for encapsulating optical and optoelectronic systems. Its production requires a completely coordinated process chain – from manufacture to functionalization. This is the goal to be accomplished by 2022 in the GLASS4FLEX joint research project.

Standards of food safety and food quality have never been higher in Germany and throughout the European Union. This is especially true in the dairy industry. Yet despite such high standards, traces of impurities, pesticides and antibiotics can find their way into milk, with sometimes serious consequences for consumer health. In the EU-funded project MOLOKO, Fraunhofer researchers have teamed up with partners to develop a new optoplasmonic sensor designed to provide fast, on-site analysis of safety and quality parameters for milk. This early-warning system will bring the industry substantial savings in time and money as well as a drastic reduction in wasted product, thereby helping to improve performance along the entire supply chain.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP has been developing processes and equipment for cleaning, sterilization and surface modification for decades. Within the framework of an internal funding project, the Institute has been developing a novel approach for the automated detection and inactivation of biofilms. First results will be presented at parts2clean (October 22 – 24, 2019 in Stuttgart, booth no. C31, hall 9).

In modern architecture, large-area glazing is a continuing trend because of its appearance and design variety. Large southwards-oriented windows help to reduce the energy demand for heating in winter. However, large-area glazing may significantly increase the energy demand for cooling and air-conditioning in hot summers. Smart Glass Solutions – such as electrochromic (EC) and thermochromic (TC) windows and glass façades – control the radiation energy transfer with the “touch of a button” and thus can drastically reduce the energy demands for heating and air conditioning of large buildings. In addition, they allow superior indoor lighting comfort in contrast to conventional mechanical window blinds. On October 1, 2019, the EU-funded initiative “Switch2Save” was launched to improve the availability and affordability of EC and TC smart glass technologies. The consortium of ten partners from research and industry will demonstrate the energy saving potential of smart glass solutions in two fully-operational buildings.

For decades now, the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP has been developing processes and systems for cleaning, sterilization, and surface modification. The newly in-house developed process, called SULEEI, makes it possible to sterilize (S) and preserve decellularized pericardial tissue by means of photo-initiated ultraviolet (U) crosslinking with low-energy electron irradiation (LEEI). The complex procedure is under evaluation in cooperation with the department of cardiac surgery belonging to the heart center of the university hospital as part of the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD). The initial findings will be presented as part of the Future Hospital showcase, and at the Fraunhofer FEP stand, at the XPOMET Festival taking place in Berlin on October 10–12, 2019.

At the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting 2019 (ISAL) in Darmstadt from September 23 to 25, 2019, the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP, a provider of research and development services in the field of organic electronics, will present OLED light strips of any length with additional functionalities for the first time at booth no. 37.

Flexible OLED light - a dream comes true for many product designers! The PI-SCALE project (project number: 688093) funded by the European Commission has been successfully completed.

The Fraunhofer FEP has developed coating processes for industry for several years. Recently in the project PoSiBat (funding reference 100275833), Fraunhofer FEP scientists were able to develop a non-toxic and efficient manufacturing process for porous silicon layers. The results of the recently completed project will be presented at the Thin Film Technology for Energy Systems workshop at V 2019 and at the Fraunhofer FEP booth No. 22 (October 8 –10, 2019, in Dresden, Germany).