EMPA
EMPA
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Switzerland
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EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Testing and Research)is an interdisciplinary research and services institution to meet the requirements of industry and the needs of our society, and it links together applications-oriented research and the practical implementation of new ideas. The Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics has recently relocated from ETH Zurich. Dr. Ayodhya N. Tiwari has been leading the PV group involved in the R&D of thin film solar cells based on compound semiconductors. The group has made several important contributions in the field of CIGS and CdTe thin film solar cells on glass and flexible substrates including the achievement of 14.1% efficiency (highest efficiency record for any type of solar cell grown on polymer film) flexible CIGS solar cell on polymide film and 11.4% record high efficiency for flexible CdTe solar cells. Other innovative developments include flexible CIGS solar cells on low cost aluminium foil, application of simple and safe non-vacuum CIGS deposition processes, high efficiency multi-junction (tandem) solar cells based on CIGS, CdTe, and Dye sensitized solar cells. The lab is involved in collaborative and industrial research, and technology transfer to start-up companies.
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2017
3 Feb 2017
Summer heat for the winter
Can thermal solar energy be stored until wintertime? Yes, this is possible, using a cheap material like sodium lye. Within a European research consortium scientists and their colleagues have spent four years studying this question by pitting three different techniques against each other.6 Jan 2017
New directions for the aerogel market
Alternatives to silica aerogel panel and blanket composites are beginning to gain traction. Silica aerogel granule and powder products are becoming more pronounced as progressively more companies emerge. Meanwhile polymer aerogels are a different class of the material, which can have the potential to act as interesting alternatives to traditional plastic and composite products.2016
30 Nov 2016
On-site robotic construction
The new Mesh Mould building technology no longer uses the timber formwork. It combines the functions of the formwork and reinforcement into a steel wire grid, which is manufactured by a robot based on a computer model.10 Nov 2016
Empa - Spin-out for the scale up of silica aerogel granules
IDTechEx Technology Analyst Dr Richard Collins interviewed Dr Matthias Koebel (head of laboratory) from Empa research institute. They are investigating scaling up the one-pot continuous flow process for silica aerogel manufacturing.
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26 Sep 2016
Is it critical to go supercritical for lightweight aerogel materials?
Last week, IDTechEx attended the international seminar on aerogels. It was held in Sophia Antipolis, France, with industrial and academic representatives displaying the latest properties, manufacturing techniques, applications and products in aerogel technologies.7 Sep 2016
EMPA
EMPA are the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. They are currently working on a novel, hydride-based solid-state electrolyte that has a higher ionic conductivity than liquid electrolytes.
Included are:
18 Aug 2016
Solid batteries improve safety
Researchers have developed a lithium-ion battery made entirely of solid material: it contains neither liquids nor gels.11 Mar 2016
Seven patents to develop cheaper lighting and flexible solar cells
n November 2012, the TREASORES project (Transparent Electrodes for Large Area Large Scale Production of Organic Optoelectronic Devices) started with the aim of developing technologies to dramatically reduce the production costs of organic electronic devices such as solar cells and LED lighting panels.2015
26 Nov 2015
CO2-free fuel made from renewable electricity
The demonstration and technology platform "move" enables Empa researchers to develop new vehicle drive concepts with significantly lower CO2 emissions and test them in practice.18 Nov 2015
Electrochemistry to satisfy mass demand
High-performance lithium ion batteries face a major problem: Lithium will eventually start to run out as batteries are deployed in electric cars and stationary storage units.11 Sep 2015
Forster Rohner Textile Innovations
Forster Rohner Textile Innovations (FRTI) was set up as a subsidiary of Forster Rohner in 2008, with the aim of exploring opportunities in combining electronics and textiles. They have completed many projects with a large number of partners, as they develop a wide array of relevant technologies, such as their e-broidery solutions.11 Aug 2015
Charging an electric vehicle in five minutes in the future
The UFCEV (Ultrafast Charging of Electric Vehicles) station, developed by Empa, ETh Zurich, EPF Lausanne and Bern University of Applied Sciences, is said to charge an electric vehicle in just 5 minutes.23 Jun 2015
Innovative hybrid-electric powertrain for road sweepers
Empa, ETH Zürich and the road sweeper manufacturer Bucher Municipal have jointly developed a pioneering hybrid-electric powertrain for road sweepers.2014
25 Mar 2014
Antimony nanocrystals for batteries
The hunt is on - for new materials to be used in the next generation of batteries that may one day replace current lithium ion batteries.2013
11 Nov 2013
Understanding what makes a thin film solar cell efficient
Scientists have developed a new technique for manufacturing high-efficiency, flexible, thin film solar cells from CIGS (copper indium gallium di-selenide) semiconductors.26 Aug 2013
Cobalt replacements make solar cells more sustainable
Researchers have successfully replaced the rare element iodine in copper-based dye-sensitized solar cells by the more abundant element cobalt, taking a step forward in the development of environmentally friendly energy production.9 Apr 2013
Tin nanocrystals for the battery of the future
Scientists have now developed a nanomaterial which enables considerably more power to be stored in lithium ion batteries.22 Feb 2013
Flisom raises funding to ramp up 15 MW flexible CIGS production plant
Flisom has raised a substantially large investment to further develop its technology and build a production plant with an annual capacity of 15MW in Switzerland.18 Feb 2013
Flisom raises funding to ramp up 15 MW flexible CIGS production plant
Flisom has raised a substantially large investment to further develop its technology and build a production plant with an annual capacity of 15MW in Switzerland.31 Jan 2013
Optotune AG
Found in 2008 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich, where Manuel Aschwanden, the CEO, developed this technology together with the Nanotechnology Group. Optotune are a material manufacturer and component or device manufacturer. The core competence lies in the optoelectromechanical design of optical systems, in the understanding of materials and in the control of accurate and clean manufacturing processes. They produce the dielectric in-house and have own formulations for the electrodes.