Research and Development

Since its foundation as the seventh Fraunhofer Institute in 1959 under the name ‘Institute for Fuel Chemistry,’ Fraunhofer ICT has been conducting research on fuels, explosives and energy systems as a partner of the Federal Ministry of Defence.

Since 1988, Fraunhofer ICT has also been conducting civilian contract research in addition to its defence technology focus and is now called the ‘Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT’.

Today, the institute's scientists conduct research in four core expertises: ‘Chemical processes’, ‘polymer engineering’, ‘energy and drive systems’, and ‘Explosives technology, safety and security’.

Research within the Fraunhofer model is based on three pillars: collaborations with industrial companies in applied research, project research on behalf of public authorities, and preliminary research in flagship projects of the Fraunhofer Society.

Companies interested in a research collaboration with Fraunhofer ICT and opportunities for public funding should ideally contact cooperations@ict.fraunhofer.de by email. The team led by research coordinator Björn Beck will be happy to explore the opportunites with you.

Core expertises of Fraunhofer ICT

 

Polymer Engineering

  • Customized plastics and composites
  • Tailored production processes for plastics and composites
  • Product development and testing​
  • Lightweight components in application
  • Closing the material cycle
 

Chemical Processes

  • Electrosynthesis and -catalysis
  • Continuous and microprocess engineering
  • Circular chemistry
  • Plasma and catalysis processes
  • Data-rich experimentation
  • Safety of hazardous processes
 

Energy and drive systems

  • Battery systems for mobile and stationary applications
  • Electric drive systems
  • Technical safety and handling of hydrogen in the application
  • Internal combustion engine powertrains
  • Thermal storage for mobile and stationary applications

 

 

Explosives technology, safety and security

  • Gun propulsion
  • Rocket propulsion
  • Pyrotechnic systems
  • High explosives for military applications
  • Detection and safety of energetic materials

Fraunhofer Clusters of Excellence

The Fraunhofer Clusters of Excellence promote the cooperative development and processing of system-relevant topics through an inter-institute research structure. In organizational terms, these research clusters correspond to a "virtual institute" spread over multiple locations.

The aim of the research clusters is not just to temporarily implement single projects but rather to follow a roadmap for the long-term development of a complex technological trend.

Fraunhofer ICT is a member of the Fraunhofer Clusters of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE and Programmable Materials CPM.

Selected topics of interdisciplinary research

 

Electromobility

In the field of electromobility, we cover various topics, such as the development of electric drive units with compact electric motors with high continuous output and lightweight transmission systems.

 

Lightweight

Weight reduction is one of the most effective methods of reducing CO2 emissions. A camshaft module made of fiber-reinforced duromers offers promising approaches.

 

Sustainable materials

Carbon fiber composites are an ideal material for reducing weight while maintaining the required properties.

 

Fire, flame and explosion protection

We apply our expertise in flame, fire and explosion protection across all disciplines at the institute.

Current publications of Fraunhofer ICT

Here you will find the 12 most recent publications from Fraunhofer ICT, as recorded in the Fraunhofer-Publica research database.

The multidisciplinary database ‘Fraunhofer-Publica’ is available to the public for researching scientific publications from Fraunhofer research. Fraunhofer-Publica records publications by the Fraunhofer Society, the Fraunhofer Institutes and their employees. With well over 100,000 titles, it covers the entire research spectrum of the Fraunhofer Society. Around 8,000 new publications are added each year. 

The following documents are included in Fraunhofer-Publica:

  • Books
  • Journal articles
  • Articles from books or conference proceedings
  • Conference proceedings
  • University publications
  • Research reports
  • Patents

The Fraunhofer-Publica database is compiled by FhG-Online on behalf of the Fraunhofer Society headquarters in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institutes and their libraries

Jahr
Year
Titel/Autor:in
Title/Author
Publikationstyp
Publication Type
2026 Characterization of explosives in a controlled blast chamber using single-particle mass spectrometer for post-blast particle analysis
Jeong, Seongho; Schade, Julian; Hettmanczyk, Lara; Ulrich, Christian; Ruser, Heinrich; Schnürer, Frank; Adelhardt, Mario; Adam, Thomas
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2025 Comparative Assessment of Energetic Plasticizers Including NFPEG3N3 in a GAP/HMX Formulation: Mechanics, Stability, Combustion, and Performance
Lieber, Patrick; Schaller, Uwe; Klapötke, Thomas M.
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2025 Synthese von kovalent adaptierbaren Netzwerken und Evaluierung der Verarbeitbarkeit
Pordzik, Michael
Master Thesis
2025 Low-Temperature Solid-State Polycondensation Synthesis of Non-Isocyanate Polyurethanes: A Pathway to High Molar Mass, Performance, and Reprocessability
Wołosz, Dominik; Fage, Aleksandra; Węgrzyk, Grzegorz; Musiatowicz, Martyna; Deshmukh, Subrajeet; Balk, Maria; Gołofit, Tomasz; Brüll, Robert
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2025 Processing, Characterization, and Detonation Testing of Explosive/Wax/Graphite Charges With CL‐20/HMX Cocrystals
Herrmann, Michael; Gerber, Peter; Baust, Tobias Michael
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2025 Safe and Sustainable by Design, Scoping, and Simplified Assessment of Alternative Flame Retardants for Use in Polymer Insulation Foams followed by Intermediate Assessment
Ay, Ayse; Beckmann, Jean Louis; Frank, Petra; Fuchs, Sabine; Berner, Valeria; Geerds, Jan; Barthel, Paul; Bitzer, Benedikt; Moss, Tobias; Chinchilla, Roberto; Scharnagl, Herbert; Ritter, Leonhard; Bernard, Maximilian; Zambotti, Sabrina; Dekkers, Susan; Hennequin, Thomas; Höhne, Carl-Christoph; Wohlleben, Wendel
Poster
2025 ELV Directive Demands: Pioneering Recycling Solutions for Automotive Plastic Waste
Killinger, Lukas; Hanich-Spahn, Ronny; Majgaonkar, Pranav
Vortrag
Presentation
2025 Comparison of 3D-Structured and Mesoporous Carbon as Host Material for Conversion/Alloy Active Material-Anodes with ZnO Using Operando Methods
Petit, Tim Jan; Heugel, Philipp; Kreissl, Julian Jakob Alexander; Miyazaki, Kohei; Abe, Takeshi; Ikezawa, Atsunori; Arai, Hajime; Yaguchi, Atsuko; Nishimura, Yoshihiro; Akimoto, Yuya; Klein, Franziska; Tübke, Jens; Janek, Jürgen; Schröder, Daniel
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2025 Life cycle assessment of a novel hybrid energy storage system: Environmental hotspots and sustainability options based on experimental insights
Heigl, Eva-Maria; Schäffer, Michael; Zeilerbauer, Lukas; Zauner, Andreas; Lindorfer, Johannes; Ott, Johannes; Fischer, Peter
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2025 Inverse Determination of Thermal Parameters of Solid Propellants for Mathematical Models in Cook-Off Simulations Using Small Sample Quantities
Tomaschewski, Daniel; Teicht, Christian
Konferenzbeitrag nicht im Tagungsband
Conference Paper not in Proceedings
2025 LCA of trailing edge maintenance – a case study of graphene nanoplatelet-based coating
Nioac de Salles, Ana Claudia
Vortrag
Presentation
2025 Initiation modeling of explosives based on pop plots generated by GAP test data
Zimmermann, Claudius; Wacker, Stefan
Konferenzbeitrag nicht im Tagungsband
Conference Paper not in Proceedings
Diese Liste ist ein Auszug aus der Publikationsplattform Fraunhofer-Publica

This list has been generated from the publication platform Fraunhofer-Publica

Contact persons

Frank Henning

Contact Press / Media

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Henning

Institute director

Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie ICT
Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Straße 7
76327 Pfinztal

Phone +49 721 4640-420

Fax +49 721 4640-730

Björn Beck

Contact Press / Media

Dr.-Ing. Björn Beck

Research Coordinator

Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie ICT
Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Straße 7
76327 Pfinztal

Phone +49 721 4640-593

Stefan Tröster

Contact Press / Media

Dr. Stefan Tröster

Media and PR

Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie ICT
Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Straße 7
76327 Pfinztal

Phone +49 721 4640-392

Fax +49 721 4640-730