Press releases

High-pressure resin transfer molding (HP-RTM) is used to produce high-quality applications, e.g. in the automotive industry. The components have a very high lightweight potential due to good material properties at low weight and are suitable for structural automotive parts, e.g. roof, doors and trunk lids.

Innovative insulating materials made of shape memory polymers are developed and tested by the Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied Polymer Research IAP, for Chemical Technology ICT and for Building Physics IBP within the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Programmable Materials CPM. The high-tech foams are to be used as functional materials, for example in the field of construction.

Uganda’s Vision 2040 aims at building a green economy and clean environment where the ecosystem is sustainably managed, and the livability of the urban systems greatly improved. This calls for building a modern energy sector that creates economic opportunities and enhances access to green energy at affordable price which can be achieved by bridging the gap between industry and the academia, and commercialization of research and development.

To reach the climate goals, energy and fuel consumption of vehicles has to be reduced. This can be achieved by reducing the vehicle weight by substituting metal parts by polymer parts. At the same time, these parts need to be stable and safe. One option to ensure this is to use fibre reinforcements in polymer parts. Many of the polymers used today are not recyclable, which is an ecological and economical drawback. The consortium of the EU-funded project ECOXY found a solution by using recyclable bio-based matrices, thus addressing two topics at the same time: lightweight and recyclability.

Designed for performance and durability, synthetic plastics have become indispensable as “materials of every-day use”. However, their indiscriminate disposal has led to an acute problem of plastic pollution. In order to solve this issue, the European Union not only tries to implement a circular system to reuse, repair and recycle plastics (circular economy) but it also aims to produce plastics of renewable resources (bio-based plastics). Poly-lactic acid (PLA) is one of the most promising and frequently used polyesters from this category.

Plastic in cars reduces their weight. Currently, however, camshaft modules, which are a key component of powertrains, are still being made from aluminum. Now a research team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT, in collaboration with their partners, has succeeded in manufacturing a camshaft module from fiber-reinforced thermoset polymers. This lightweight design element helps lower engine weight and reduces assembly costs. It is currently available as a functional demonstrator.

Renewable energy sources like solar cells (photovoltaics) and wind turbines require large-scale energy storage systems to balance out fluctuations in energy generation. Redox-flow batteries (RFBs) are considered to be one of the most promising solutions. RFBs store and release energy as electrons are swapped between two chemical reactants, via an electric conductor. The wide range of electroactive substances available – many of which occur in nature – means that vast numbers of potential redox-flow systems remain to be explored.